There has been very little good news for Chelsea in recent times. The Blues are in historically bad form and it is hard to imagine they have any chance of qualifying for the Champions League, after pretty much all of their rivals won at the weekend while they lost their fourth straight Premier League match without scoring a goal.
Overall, Chelsea have won just one of their last eight in the Premier League. You simply cannot be in that kind of form if you want to make the Champions League. It is a lot more likely that they will end up missing out on all European qualification spots, based on their form and remaining games.
The only silver lining is that Chelsea’s injury problems are not as bad as we had feared coming out of the game against Manchester United. Earlier in the day, it emerged in Argentina that Enzo Fernandez was suffering from fatigue and did not pick up any sort of injury.
The bigger worry was surrounding Estevao. He picked up a hamstring issue and was in tears at half-time. Clearly, he must have feared the worst, including missing the World Cup for Brazil. While the issue is set to keep him out for a while, it won’t be as long as we had initially thought.
Estevao set to return for Chelsea next month
According to ge.globo (via PYS), expectations are that Estevao will miss 15-20 days. He will potentially return on May 17, when Chelsea face Tottenham Hotspur.
It remains to be seen if things go according to expectations or not. One thing is for sure, Chelsea should not be taking any sort of risk with Estevao’s return. There is no point rushing him back. This season is as good as over in terms of the club having meaningful football left.
Chelsea are still in the FA Cup. They face Leeds United in the semi-final. But with Manchester City still in the competition, the Blues’ chances at silverware are slim at best.
Estevao’s debut season in England has been a mixed bag
Estevao has been one of the few bright spots for Chelsea this season. He has done better than most people would have expected when he arrived from Brazil.
The teenager is playing at a starter level already. He is one of the few who seems capable of doing something of note when he has the ball at his feet.
That being said, he has had his injury problems lately as well. And that is something Chelsea need to be careful about. We have seen so many talented youngsters lose their magic as a result of suffering far too many injuries early in their careers. They need to make sure that does not happen with Estevao.
