Mauricio Pochettino reveals fresh Ben Chilwell blow as Chelsea boss again left sweating on left-back’s fitness

• Chilwell doubtful for Burnley clash
• Picked up knock on England duty
• Only recently returned from injury

WHAT HAPPENED?

Ben Chilwell Raphinha England Brazil 2023-24

Pochettino revealed that Chilwell will be a doubt for the Blues’ clash against Burnley on Saturday. The left-back has had numerous issues over the course of the campaign and it now looks likely that his season has taken another hit, at least in the short term. Chilwell was a part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad and played a total of 157 minutes of football against Brazil and Belgium.

WHAT POCHETTINO SAID

Speaking to the media, Pochettino said on Thursday: “We still need to assess a few players like Chilwell after playing two games. I think he got a knock in his knee. Today, he wasn’t ready to train. We will see what will happen tomorrow if he can be in the squad.

“Chilwell’s injury a surprise? Surprised, not surprised, I don’t know. If he cannot play with us or be available, because he didn’t play after Brentford with us. He played a few minutes against Leicester. He started two games. Yeah, maybe, it’s a surprise for us. But it’s bad luck because he got a dead leg in the last moment of the game against Belgium.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Ben Chilwell Chelsea

The 27-year-old sustained a knee injury during Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Brentford earlier this month which prevented him from participating in training sessions since then, adding to his hamstring woes from the beginning of the season. However, he managed to recover in time to return for Chelsea’s 4-2 win over Leicester City in the FA Cup quarter-final later in March. Those performances – and a distinct lack of other options at left-back – saw him picked by Southgate, as he played in both games despite Chelsea’s worries over his fitness.

WHAT NEXT FOR CHILWELL?

It is now likely that the 27-year-old will be replaced by Marc Cucurella in Pochettino’s starting line-up against Burnley on Saturday at Stamford Bridge. It is as yet unclear whether Chilwell will make the bench in that one, as looks to continually work on his fitness before the upcoming European Championships.