SM
Arsenal vs. Newcastle: 19 hrs 47 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews

Chelsea

Gary Cahill worried by size of Chelsea squad ahead of new season

:Headline: Gary Cahill worried by size of Chelsea squad ahead of new season: ID:304380: from db_amp
Gary Cahill hopes that Chelsea remain injury-free this season as they are relying on quality over quantity in terms of their squad.

Chelsea captain Gary Cahill has confessed that the Premier League champions are relying on players remaining fit this season due to the small squad size.

The Blues stormed to the Premier League title last time around, finishing seven points ahead of closest challengers Tottenham Hotspur after racking up a record number of wins.

Boss Antonio Conte has already lost Nemanja Matic, Nathan Ake, Asmir Begovic and Juan Cuadrado on permanent deals this summer, while 20 others have gone out on loan.

Following the penalty-shootout defeat to Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon, Cahill admitted that a quick glance at the matchday programme - which had just 20 Chelsea players listed, compared to the Gunners' 41 - highlights a potential problem.

"The back of the programme was interesting today," he told reporters. "But in terms of quality we've certainly got that and you just have to hope we don't have too many injuries.

"Obviously the new players that have just come, they're going to be vitally important for us and the quicker they settle, the better, but there's no doubt we've added quality to the team.

"They are going to be tested 100%. We'll see how that plays out, but we just have to keep everybody fit, keep everybody sharp. Rest is going to be important because we're going to have a lot of games."

Chelsea, who have Champions League football to contend with this season following a one-year hiatus, begin their title defence with a home match against Burnley on Saturday.

amp_article__304380 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2017-08-07 15:11:07:
html db last update - 2017-08-07 15:11:07 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Click here for more stories about Gary Cahill

Click here for more stories about Chelsea

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool19144147192846
2Arsenal20117239182140
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest20124429191040
4Chelsea20106439241536
5Newcastle UnitedNewcastle20105534221235
6Manchester CityMan City2010463627934
7Bournemouth209653023733
8Aston Villa209563032-232
9Fulham207943027330
10Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2061043029128
11Brentford208393835327
12Tottenham HotspurSpurs20731042301224
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd206592328-523
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham206592439-1523
15Crystal Palace204972128-721
16Everton193881525-1017
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2044123145-1416
18Ipswich TownIpswich2037102035-1516
19Leicester CityLeicester2035122344-2114
20Southampton2013161244-326
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .