Graham Potter’s problems have increased after Chelsea confirmed that Thiago Silva damaged knee ligaments at Tottenham on Sunday, ruling the centre-back out of pivotal games against Leeds and Borussia Dortmund.
Silva was forced off during the defeat by Spurs after a challenge on Harry Kane during the first half and his absence will come as a major blow to Potter, who could be without the defender for up to six weeks. Chelsea’s head coach is under growing pressure after a damaging run of form and, although he is said to retain the complete backing of the hierarchy, that support could ebb away if he loses the next two games.
Chelsea are 10th in the Premier League before hosting Leeds on Saturday and Potter could face a hostile reaction from the crowd if they witness another defeat. The focus will then turn to next Tuesday’s home tie against Dortmund in the last 16 of the Champions League, with the German side 1-0 up from the first leg.
The board want to give Potter time but the former Brighton manager is aware that results and performances must improve.
Turning the situation around will be made harder without Silva. The 38-year-old is the leader in central defence and recently signed a one-year contract extension. Potter’s alternatives include Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah and Kalidou Koulibaly. Benoît Badiashile could face Leeds but is not eligible for the Dortmund game after being omitted from the Champions League squad. Chelsea struggled after Silva went off against Spurs.
A Chelsea statement said: “Having sustained a knee injury during the first half of Sunday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur, Thiago underwent further assessment and a scan on his return to the training centre on Monday. Scan results from those assessments have confirmed damage to Thiago’s knee ligaments and he will now work closely with the club’s medical department during his rehabilitation to return to action as soon as possible.”
