Graham Potter has admitted Chelsea need to try and figure out what it is that is causing the injury problems around the squad so far this season.
The Blues are currently in eighth-place in the Premier League table, which is clearly below-par. And while the performance in the top-flight cannot solely be put down to the high amount of injury problems the squad have had, it certainly hasn't helped their case.
N'Golo Kante has been sidelined since August with a hamstring injury and is not expected to return to first-team action until March. Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell and Armando Broja are also all currently out with long-term injuries.
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Reece James has been more unfortunate than most this season. After suffering a knee problem away at AC Milan in October, the 23-year-old was ruled out for over two months with the injury – subsequently missing England's World Cup campaign in Qatar.
James finally made his return against Bournemouth on Tuesday evening – Chelsea's first Premier League game back since the World Cup break – but hobbled off early into the second-half. The Blues defender hurt his knee yet again and has now been ruled out for up to a month.
Is it pure bad luck? Is there something behind the scenes that needs improving? Is it down to Chelsea's pre-season? Potter has given his verdict on the matter but he cannot quite put his finger on the cause of the big problem.
"There is a little bit of bad luck but I don't think you should throw it to something you can't do anything about," Potter explained. "There is an element of luck, of course, but then there are other things that happen.
"But that is for us to try and learn from and get better with. Again, it's been a challenging season and I don't know how pre-season was because I wasn't here. I can't comment on that.
"Sometimes you have these situations; Liverpool had one earlier in the season. So it can happen, especially when you are playing so many games in a short space of time. But without knowing the full extent of pre-season, it's hard for me to comment."
Chelsea face Nottingham Forest on New Year's Day away from home as Potter looks for his side to build on the win against Bournemouth earlier in the week. If the Blues do win, it will be the first time they have won back-to-back Premier League matches since October. But Potter is wary of the threat Forest pose at the City Ground.
"You always have to be wary in the Premier League," the Chelsea head coach said. "You can't say it's the greatest league in the world and then think there are easy games. There aren't.
"Forest got a fantastic result against Liverpool before the break and I have huge respect for Steve Cooper and the job he has done there. He is a fantastic coach.
"So they'll be ready and the atmosphere will be hostile I'm sure. It's their first year back in the Premier League for a long, long time and every game – especially Chelsea coming to town – is a big game for them. So they'll be motivated, have quality, and be fighting for the points. So we have to be ready."
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