Chelsea Manager Enzo Maresca Discusses Fofana’s Injury and Club’s Title Ambitions

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has indicated that defender Wesley Fofana, 23, could be sidelined for “10 or 12 games” after sustaining a hamstring injury during the match against Aston Villa. Fofana was substituted in the 60th minute of the 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge following an incident where he awkwardly stepped on the ball while challenging striker Ollie Watkins. The France international has been a consistent starter for the Blues this Premier League season, having missed only one game against Liverpool due to suspension. When questioned about the diagnosis for his centre-back, who went directly down the tunnel after being replaced by Benoit Badiashile, Maresca stated: “Unfortunately, it is bad news. It is a hamstring problem.” He further explained the recovery period, adding: “These kind of things require at least three, four, five weeks. In this moment, you lose 10 games or 12 games.” Maresca acknowledged the significance of the injury, saying: “In the way he was playing, it is a big loss for us. But we have more players and we will try to find solutions. It is a big loss. He is doing fantastic. “But it is normal when you play this amount of games and, fortunately, it is his first injury this season. But we are going to find solutions.” Chelsea currently holds the third position in the Premier League standings, possessing identical points, goal difference, and goals scored as Arsenal, trailing them solely due to alphabetical order. Responding to an inquiry about why Chelsea is not competing for the Premier League title this season, Maresca commented: “These kind of players, some of them probably played only one final for a title – probably the Carabao Cup final last season was the most important match they played.” He elaborated: “You have to live moments and, when we start to get those moments, we can get better and compete. “Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City players, they have all lived finals and competed for titles. We will be there soon, but this is one of the reasons why we are still far and not ready to compete with those clubs.”