Mauricio Pochettino says Christopher Nkunku and Levi Colwill are “on the line” in their respective recoveries but would have compatibility to face Tottenham.
The Argentine faces a 14-man injured list ahead of Thursday’s London derby at Stamford Bridge and said he would give some “kids” the chance to play.
But Les Bleus also indicated on the same day that Colwill and Nkunku were again “in full training”.
Pochettino later explained why they are both completely worried at Cobham and still play in the London derby.
“They were training,” Pochettino told reporters. “Today we normally prepare for tomorrow’s game. We did set pieces, tactical paints and games.
“They’re almost there. They’re on the line, but they cross it. We expect them to cross the finish line for West Ham on Sunday.
But we’ll still have to wait until tomorrow, Friday and Saturday to see if they can face the competition. What this means on the online page is that they are close and almost capable.
Thiago Silva arguably would have played his last game for Chelsea after injuring his groin in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Aston Villa. The Brazilian has just five games left to get back to full fitness and play after announcing his summer withdrawal scheduled for this week.
The loss of the 39-year-old will drastically reduce the average age of an already young Chelsea side, but Pochettino says he is there to help new leaders emerge after Silva’s departure.
“I think the smart thing after 10 months is that we’re part of the process and we’re the leaders of the process for the players,” he added.
“Nowadays, because I think it’s not just us, there are too many clubs that are in this situation. It’s true that over the years it’s more difficult to track down this type of player, like Thiago.
“We’re talking about a 39-year-old man. It is not easy to locate this player profile. I think it’s about how we can do it as a training team.
“We’re helping and they’ll certainly be bigger and more mature next season. “
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