“We miss his experience, and his quality” – Tuchel confirms Chelsea star will be back against Leicester
Prior to their Saturday match at Stamford Bridge against Leicester City, Chelsea have suffered a setback (August 27).
However, Mateo Kovacic will be on the bench because he is not healthy enough to start the game, according to manager Thomas Tuchel. The knee injury that kept the Croatian out of the Blues’ first three Premier League games is still bothering him.
For Chelsea, Mateo Kovacic has made 184 appearances in all leagues. The Croatian assisted the Blues in winning the Champions League, Europa League, and FIFA Club World Cup. He has been an enormous asset for Chelsea because of his tenacity, work ethic, and passing ability through midfield. In midfield, Kovacic has forged effective alliances with N’Golo Kante and Jorginho.
Against Leceister, the Croatian appears destined to start on the bench and might make a brief appearance late in the second half. According to Chelseachronicle, Tuchel stated:
“Kova is back in the group and ready to play some 20 minutes. We miss him as a personality, his experience, and his quality. It was his first training week without a reaction in the knee.”
“We cannot rush things otherwise we would just sabotage our own plans with him. We need him long-term but it’s good to have him back and have him as an option on the bench.”
Thomas Tuchel’s side sorely missed the Croatian during their opening three games and were hoping that he would return for their clash with Leicester City.
The German tactician was forced to start Conor Gallagher against Leeds last weekend due to Kovacic’s absence. The former Crystal Palace loanee struggled to make an impact and was often overrun by Leeds’ midfielder.
As per Sportbible, Chelsea’s injury woes are set to continue as N’Golo Kante is set to be ruled out for at least four weeks due to a hamstring injury. The French midfielder suffered the injury during the Blues’ 2-2 draw with Tottenham earlier this month.