Chelsea Defensive Stalwart Andreas Christensen Suffers Hamstring Injury
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte was dealt a cruel blow to his defensive ranks during the Blues' stunning defeat at the hands of Bournemouth on Wednesday, as key defender Andreas Christensen sustained a hamstring injury.
The 21-year-old was forced off at Stamford Bridge with the scores level in the 28th minute, Chelsea then went on to concede three goals in the second half which saw Conte's side slide down to fourth in the table.
Following the defeat, Conte told reporters (via the Metro): "I think this is a hamstring problem for Christensen, but I don’t know the extent of his injury. We have to wait one day, two days, three days to have a clinical examination."
Despite having been a mainstay in the heart of Chelsea's defense this season - having missed just 10 games - Conte was insistent that the Dane's absence was not an excuse for the shock defeat.
He added: "We played other games without Christensen. With Cahill in the middle of the defense. We won and didn’t concede a goal. Injuries are a part of the game. I think it’s not right to find excuses.
"This is not the right way to rectify or solve the situation. Only through work can you solve the situation."
News of Christensen's injury layoff was counteracted by the update on fellow center back David Luiz who has started training with a physical coach on Wednesday following an ankle injury, Conte revealed.
"I don’t know, I don’t know [about Luiz's exact progress], because he had a problem in his ankle. Today he started the training session with the physical coach."
The 3-0 defeat at the hands of Bournemouth saw Liverpool jump ahead of the Blues into third place and Tottenham's victory over Manchester United have cut the gap between Conte's men and the North London side to just two points.
When asked if his side will be hard pressed to finish the season in the top four, Conte said: "Yes, yes. We must be worried. We must be worried. It won’t be easy."
