Chelsea’s faltering season received yet another blow after news emerged that Ashley Cole is set to be out of action for an extended period after picking up a calf injury against Everton last weekend. The England international, who had just returned from a one-match suspension, was substituted during the 2-0 loss at Goodison Park after he strained his calf. Chelsea’s website confirmed that Cole is set to be on the sidelines for a while and that they were monitoring the situation. The Blues have very few options at left-back, with Jose Bosingwa expected to deputize, unless Andre Villas-Boas trusts either Paolo Ferreira or young Ryan Bertrand.
There has been some positive news on the injury front though as John Terry returned to training this week. The centre-back has been out of action since the end of January with a knee injury and despite Gary Cahill arriving in the winter transfer window, Chelsea have looked vulnerable at the back in the absence of their captain. Chelsea haven’t maintained a clean sheet in any of the three games that Terry has missed, which included the remarkable 3-3 draw against Manchester United. They have a vital Champions League game against Napoli next week and the return of their talismanic captain will be a boost for the beleaguered Villas-Boas.
Ashely Cole injury is really a big blow to blues. It couldn’t have been so if AVB have put confidence in the youth. He is recruiting young ones but only to dump them either on the bench or throw them to the gallery. What is Cahil, Lukaku, Betrand etc doing outside the pitch?