CHELSEA boss Enzo Maresca has revealed three of his key players are carrying injuries after the Blues slumped to a shock 2-1 home defeat to Sunderland.
The Premier League new boys stunned Stamford Bridge with a stoppage-time winner from Chemsdine Talbi, sealing another famous victory and continuing their incredible start to life back in the top flight.
It was heartbreak for Chelsea, who missed the chance to make it five wins in a row despite taking the lead just four minutes in through Alejandro Garnacho.
The Blues started brightly but faded badly, punished for a flat performance as Wilson Isidor levelled before Talbi struck late to grab all three points for the visitors.
After the match, Maresca admitted several of his stars are playing through the pain, including Joao Pedro, Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
Maresca said: “I think Joao is not training every day because he’s managing himself from the injury problem.
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“Moi [Caicedo] is exactly the same, Enzo [Fernandez] is exactly the same.
“We have four or five players that unfortunately can’t train every day and they just try to make the effort to play the game.”
Maresca admitted fatigue played a major role in Chelsea’s poor showing, with the defeat marking their third game in seven days.
He added: “Joao in some games has been better, today he struggled a little bit.
But I think overall all the players struggled today, it’s not just about Joao.”
The loss is another setback for Maresca’s men, who now face a packed schedule with a Carabao Cup clash against Wolves on Wednesday before a tough London derby at Tottenham on Saturday.
Chelsea are already dealing with a growing injury crisis, with Cole Palmer, Liam Delap, Levi Colwill and Benoit Badiashile among those currently sidelined.
The Italian manager didn’t hold back in assessing his side’s overall performance, admitting they simply weren’t good enough.
He said: “In general we were not good enough.
“When you are not good enough in the Premier League, we know the consequence can be a bad one.”
He was particularly frustrated with the nature of Sunderland’s winning goal, which came from a long ball his defenders failed to deal with.
Maresca said: “The second goal we conceded — it’s not even a transition. It’s just one long ball behind. We are two against one and we didn’t defend properly.
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“The first goal came from a throw-in. They bring six, seven, eight players inside the box, so it’s difficult. But overall, we were not good enough.”
The defeat leaves Chelsea fans concerned not just about the result but the physical condition of some of their biggest names ahead of a crucial week.
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