Chelsea manager, Mauricio Pochettino, could be forgiven for thinking it’s two steps forward after the Blues win against Tottenham Hotspur, and then one back because of their injury concerns.
The bigger clubs are seemingly able to cover the loss of their stars, and whilst Chelsea are steadily improving, they’re far from the finished article and need the players playing.
A decent showing against Pep Guardiola’s side this coming weekend would not only put the cat amongst the pigeons in terms of showing that Man City are beatable, but it would also strengthen Chelsea’s own aspirations as they look to climb the Premier League table.
They’ll have to try their luck without at least six of their players, however.
According to Premier Injuries, only Armando Broja appears likely to be able to make this weekend’s fixtures.
Definitely ruled out are Wesley Fofana, Ben Chilwell, Romeo Lavia, Christoper Nkunku, Trevoh Chalobah and Carney Chukwuemeka.
There’s still no date for a return for the latter two, whilst Nkunku will hope to be back in contention by the end of November.
Lavia and Chilwell should be able to be considered for selection by mid-December whilst Fofana is out for the season.
How Pochettino manages to negotiate this next crucial period in the season is ultimately likely to dictate where Chelsea end up.