Graham Potter said Chelsea will "keep our fingers crossed" and hope Reece James' injury isn't too serious after the Blues' much-needed return to winning ways on Tuesday night was soured by the England full-back's early exit.
After a run of three straight Premier League defeats, Chelsea beat Bournemouth 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, with goals from Kai Havertz and Mason Mount, but it was the injury to James which provided the big talking point from the game.
The 23-year-old had been sidelined since October with a knee injury, meaning he missed out on Gareth Southgate's England World Cup squad, and after recovering during the winter break which included a training camp in Abu Dhabi, took his place in Chelsea's starting line-up to face Bournemouth.
As is often the case, James was one of Chelsea's standout players at Stamford Bridge, but he was forced off five minutes into the second half with an injury Potter confirmed was in a similar area as his previous injury.
"We will have to see over the next 24 to 48 hours," Potter said. "At the moment it is a bit too soon, but he felt something there so we’ll wait to see the extent of it and keep our fingers crossed at the moment.
"Reece is disappointed of course, and at the moment we're just in a stage where we're hoping that it isn't as bad."
There is no coincidence that James' first injury, sustained in the Champions League game against AC Milan on October 11, coincided with Chelsea's downturn in form. In the 10 matches in his absence, Chelsea won just three and lost four in all competitions.
While England may be blessed with an abundant of right-backs, with the likes of Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker, and Trent Alexander-Arnold all able to compensate for James' World Cup absence, Chelsea are not quite as fortunate and have at times been over-reliant on his presence in the team.
Even in the 40 minutes after James limped off on Tuesday night, Chelsea's performance visibly dropped.
“It’s probably a little bit of everything," Potter said when asked about the team's dip following James' exit. "Reece was playing well and he’s a top player. As much as we think coaches are magicians, believe you me if you have top players it makes the coach’s job a lot easier.
Chelsea v Bournemouth player ratings
-
CHELSEA RATINGS: Kepa Arrizabalaga - 7. Decisive when needed while also showing plenty of composure with the ball at his feet. Dealt with efforts from Jaidon Anthony well. AP -
Reece James - 8. Linked up with Raheem Sterling brilliantly and provided quality with his crosses. Had a good shot saved after he beat Jordan Zemura in the box. Worryingly replaced just after half-time. AFP -
Kalidou Koulibaly - 7. Played some poor passes in dangerous positions but positioned himself well and defended authoritatively. Made a great header to clear Zemura’s cross, then came close with his head at the other end. AP -
Thiago Silva - 7. Overcame an early knock to put in an impressive display, getting across well to stop Dominic Solanke, then cutting out Zemura’s late cross. Played a pass that was cut out in his own box. Getty -
Marc Cucurella - 8. Put in a confident defensive display, notably flicking the ball away from Jack Stacey in his own box. Also showed his quality on the ball. Reuters -
Denis Zakaria - 8. Looked very confident on his Premier League debut and defended with authority, notably tackling Zemura in his own box. Couldn’t hit the target when opportunities came in the second half. AP -
Jorginho - 7. Played a nice pass to Mount in the build-up to the opening goal and continued to move the ball well. Also took up some great defensive positions. AP -
Mason Mount - 9. A real livewire, impressively releasing Sterling in the build-up to the opener. He then scored the second with a beautiful strike. Reuters -
Raheem Sterling – 8. Linked up brilliantly with James and gave Zemura plenty of problems throughout, setting up Kai Havertz’s opener with a perfectly weighted pass. Had other impressive moments, having a strong strike denied by Travers and picking out Zakaria in the box superbly. Getty -
Kai Havertz - 9. Scored the opener with a clinical finish, then laid the ball off nicely for Mount to get Chelsea’s second – although he also dragged a shot wide from a good position. Put in a strong performance and even defended corners well. Reuters -
Christian Pulisic - 6. Fired wide with Adam Smith pulling at his shirt, then had a goal ruled out after Havertz was adjudged to have fouled Smith. Often looked frustrated and fired a wild effort off target from a promising position in the second half. EPA -
SUBS: Cesar Azpilicueta (James, 53’) – 6. Struggled when Bournemouth ran at him, although he also nodded back to Kepa when a potentially dangerous ball was played through. Delivered a great cross for Koulibaly’s chance. Reuters -
Conor Gallagher (Zakaria, 82’) – N/R. Saw a shot from a promising position blocked by Lloyd Kelly after doing well to cut inside Zemura. Reuters -
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Pulisic, 82’) – N/R. Played a nice ball through to start a move but was halted by Marcos Senesi when trying to make a burst forward of his own. Trevoh Chalobah (Sterling, 88’) – N/R. Reuters -
BOURNEMOUTH RATINGS: Mark Travers - 6. Despite conceding twice, he made three impressive saves to deny James, Sterling and Mount. AFP -
Jack Stacey - 4. Often outdone by Cucurella and couldn’t squeeze his touch past the Spaniard after getting into the box. Was taken off at half time. PA -
Adam Smith - 5. His pull on Pulisic proved enough to put the American off without conceding a penalty, although he often struggled to keep up with the winger. Got back brilliantly to deny Havertz as he ran through. Reuters -
Marcos Senesi - 6. Got an important touch on crosses from James and Sterling. Also did well to rob the ball from Mount, then won the ball from Zakaria well in the build-up to Christie’s chance. PA -
Lloyd Kelly - 5. Looked very indecisive in the early stages but grew into the game as it progressed, making impressive interventions to stop crosses into the box during the second half. Blocked Gallagher’s late shot. AFP -
Jordan Zemura - 6. Given a real headache by Sterling, not just because he clashed heads with the winger after being beaten to the ball. However, he battled well and also caused danger with his runs forward. Reuters -
Lewis Cook - 7. Battled well throughout, notably putting in a great tackle to prevent Pulisic from breaking forward, while he also did well to cut out Sterling’s pass. Reuters -
Jefferson Lerma - 5. Did nowhere near enough to stop Mount from scoring his goal, although he did have bursts of positive play, including when he played the ball out to Ryan Christie. Smashed a shot horribly off target. EPA -
Philip Billiing - 4. His attempt at defending for the Mount goal looked lazy and there were plenty of times where he struggled to make any real impact on the game. Reuters -
Dominic Solanke - 7. The former Blues striker made a brilliant burst forward to win a free-kick in the opening minute and continued to be very busy. Was unlucky that nothing came of him winning the ball back inside Chelsea’s box and to see his header go marginally wide. EPA -
Kieffer Moore - 4. Lost the ball too easily before the end of the first half and struggled to really make his mark on the game. Reuters -
SUBS: Jaidon Anthony (Stacey, HT) - 6. Completely outdone by James but grew into the game and hit a shot from range that was saved by Kepa. His free-kick went straight at Kepa. Reuters -
Ryan Christie (Billing, 66’) - 6. Had positive moments as he tried to make things happen but often couldn’t quite complete the final pass. Was denied by Kepa from a tight angle. AFP -
Siriki Dembele (Moore, 85’) – N/R. Provided energy and delivered the cross for Solanke’s late chance. AP
"You can see the quality Reece brings down that right in the first half, especially and to see him go off, it affects the stadium, the team, everything. That isn’t an excuse but we’re human beings and he is someone we care a lot about.
"There is going to be some concern and worry and I think that’s natural. Given the results we’ve had too, you want to try to hold on to your win and I think that affected our performance in the second half.
“Reece is a world-class player," Potter added. "You see it from the outside but it’s not until you work with him how good he is," Potter said. "He is an incredible player, one who would fit into any team in the world. Any team would miss him.”
