Chelsea enter the new season under Xabi Alonso after a 10th-place finish last term, with a relatively clean bill of health among the first-team squad ahead of their Premier League opener against Fulham on Monday. While fringe players have minor knocks, the focus is on managing key players who endured significant injury problems last season.
Cole Palmer's groin problem and summer rest
Cole Palmer struggled with a chronic groin condition called pubalgia during the first half of last season, a lower abdomen issue also faced by Barcelona's Lamine Yamal. The injury cost him his place in Thomas Tuchel's England squad, and he was left at home this summer as England's World Cup campaign fell short.
Palmer played the full 90 minutes on the opening day of last season but did not repeat that feat until January. Chelsea opted against surgery, instead using careful game management, which saw Palmer become more durable as the season progressed.
Stephen Smith, CEO and founder of Kitman Labs, which specialises in injury welfare and performance analytics, told Metro: 'From a groin injury perspective, the evidence consistently shows players returning from those sort of injuries before full tissue healing are significantly more likely to reinjure. So to get a full summer off after his troubles last season will be huge. Not just rest but it was have also allowed him to move into a structured rehab process without the pressure of matches or the pressure of having to be available every week. It completely changes the picture. I would expect to see a more fitter and more robust Cole Palmer this season. I think that is a realistic outcome knowing how well the process will have been managed at Chelsea.'
Estevao's return from a rare hamstring injury
Estevao's first Premier League season ended in April with a hamstring tear that ruled him out of Brazil's World Cup campaign. Hamstring injuries are rated from grade one (least damage) to grade three (severe), but Estevao's was labelled a rare grade four.
The winger featured in pre-season and came off the bench in Chelsea's final pre-season match against Real Sociedad on Saturday. A staggered return to action is expected, with the club aware of the risks.
Smith said: 'A tear of that magnitude was severe. The fact he is back in training at all now is really positive but the critical distinction is between training and match readiness. Full training is not the end point for an injury like that. Progressive match exposure will be. For a tear of that severity you would typically want to see full training integration, high speed running metrics back to their base line and ideally a very structured return. Recovery for any player can be tricky but considering his age and profile in competitive football there will be a significant recurrence risk before those markers are met.'
