Another Chelsea Star Suffers Injury Blow Ahead Of Palace Game

Chelsea striker, Diego Costa is reportedly a major doubt for the next few matches for the Blues as the player has been struggling with troublesome hamstring problems. He could be ruled out for the next 3 weeks limiting the striking options of Jose Mourinho. Upfront, Mourinho would be left with only Loic Remy as the only fully fit striker ahead of the English Premier League encounter with Crystal Palace this weekend because Didier Drogba is still struggling with an ankle injury and wouldn’t be available. This could be a worrisome situation for Jose Mourinho and the Chelsea faithful not because Loic Remy isn’t good enough but rather makes any injury to Remy in the next few matches a total disaster.

Diego Costa has been very spectacular for Chelsea and strangely so, for an attacker in his first season in the English Premier League. The Spaniard has scored 9 times in 7 matches this season and is so far the season’s highest goal scorer in the EPL. Costa, who joined Chelsea in a £32m deal from Atletico Madrid this summer, played twice for Brazil in 2013 before declaring his desire to represent Spain, having been granted Spanish Citizenship in September 2013. In the 2014 FIFA World Cup, he led the Spanish national team’s attack line that performed woefully in their quest to defend their World Cup title. Nevertheless, Costa’s blistering performances for Atletico Madrid last season which saw the Spanish La Liga Champions clinching the domestic title and attaining the Runners-Up status in the UEFA Champions League cannot be forgotten in a hurry. Now, with Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard, Willian and the other top stars in Chelsea, one could confidently say that Costa’s goal scoring record would even become better.

As an option for Chelsea, other than Loic Remy, would come the genius of Jose Mourinho as he could deploy a couple of tactics to survive the injury crisis. Player like Andrea Schurlle and even Cesc Fabregas can play as false 9 and lead the Chelsea attack but how well that would work against English Premier League oppositions is left to be seen. However, it wouldn’t be much of a problem, if Loic Remy who has a very good understanding of the English Premier League and the European football terrain, stays fit and lead the Chelsea attack for the coming domestic and European fixtures. Remy, who featured for France at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, was inches away from signing for Liverpool this summer but he failed his medicals at the Merseyside and made him available again in the market. Then, Mourinho was said to have made enquiries over the availability of the clinical France international, when initially, returnee Didier Drogba had some injury concerns. Didier Drogba’s recovery was said to have prompted Jose Mourinho’s abandonment of Loic Remy’s pursuit. Chelsea snapped Remy up eventually with less than 48 hours to the close of the transfer window this summer in a turnaround deal of £10.5m.

Chelsea plays Crystal Palace this weekend and then would play Maribor on Tuesday night for an UEFA Champions League match. If Remy stays injury free for these matches then he could face the following match against Manchester United with great confidence. However, if the player gets injured in one of those two matches, then Chelsea could face Manchester United in the English Premier League tie with no fit attacker. That would spell doom for the Jose Mourinho side. But a lifeline in all of these problems is the obvious fact that Jose Mourinho would always find a way round issues like this!