Frank Lampard named Pedro in his starting XI today, but by the time kickoff came around, Ross Barkley appeared on the left wing instead.
That was because the Spanish winger had picked up an injury in the warmup, and the club’s official Twitter account has now confirmed that it’s a hamstring problem.
Pedro update:
Despite his initial inclusion in the starting line-up, Pedro picked up a hamstring injury during the warm-up. Ross Barkley was his replacement and the Blues now have just six substitutes on the bench.#NORCHE
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 24, 2019
TV picked up the former Barcelona man in the crowd watching on in the first half, so clearly he’s not been rushed off for treatment or anything. It’s probably just a niggle, and as far as we can tell, we can expect him to be fit again for next weekend against Sheffield United.
Lampard clearly likes Pedro, and has picked him consistently. However with Willian now fit and Callum Hudson-Odoi returning soon, it’s a loss we can cope with. We’re not a fan of Ross Barkley playing on the left, and he’s not done much for his case today either.
