Chelsea manager and former West Ham assistant Enzo Maresca has revealed that he is facing a crisis at right back ahead of tomorrow’s game.
The West Londoners travel to the London Stadium for the early Premier League kickoff, but Maresca is not having everything his way.
Chelsea have an embarrassingly large squad and seemingly inexhaustible supply of money, making them better suited than most to circumvent the loss of a couple of defenders. However, the absence of Malo Gusto is a significant loss.
The French right back missed the 1-0 victory over Bournemouth last weekend with an injury that was expected to heal in time to face West Ham. The defender is an integral part of the Chelsea team, particularly given that Reece James is also still out with a hamstring tear.
James is an excellent player but appears to be beset by constant injuries; however, even if he were fit, there’s no guarantee that he would oust Gusto from the starting line-up such is the Frenchman’s quality.
Unfortunately for West Ham, while Chelsea might be struggling for right backs, they have a plethora of attacking options. Summer signing Jadon Sancho looked particularly good when introduced in the second half last weekend. The former Manchester United and Dortmund attacker helped turn the tide in a game that wasn’t going Chelsea’s way in the first half.
Therefore, West Ham’s defence will have to be cautious, but if Julen Lopetegui can fix the Hammers’ malfunctioning left side, then there could be an opportunity to attack the visitors’ weak spot.