Chelsea were beaten comfortably by Liverpool in the end yesterday, but the game was more damaging than just the slipup in the top four race it represented.
It was a damaging blow to our confidence which had been gradually growing after a few good results against bad teams.
Perhaps even more significantly was the way that Antonio Rudiger was forced off, after going down hurt, playing on injured and then eventually giving up again and allowing himself to be replaced by Andreas Christensen.
There were some good signs though – the way the German defender returned to watch the game from the bench, and the reports from the Evening Standard’s Simon Johnson about his status after the game:
Just asked #Rudiger about his injury as he limped through #lfc mixed zone. I asked how serious it was and he just replied: "I hope it's not too bad." #Cfc
— Simon Johnson (@SJohnsonSport) April 14, 2019
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So there is some hope he will be back then. If not, we find ourselves in deep trouble.
The rotation between David Luiz, Rudiger and Christensen has proved effective in recent weeks, with one of the three able to rest each game. If Rudi is out, then that means playing Christensen with Luiz every game
It’s good news for the Dane and his demands for game-time, but it’s not so good for the team as we look to continue competing on two fronts.
