The positivity surrounding N'Golo Kante's return from injury was very short-lived. The Frenchman was replaced by Mateo Kovacic in the 63rd minute at Villa Park on Sunday before Thomas Tuchel delivered the news all Blues fans had been dreading.
"N’Golo is very painful in exactly the same spot where he had his injury versus Juventus. It is exactly the same spot," Tuchel replied when asked about the substitution.
The long-term repercussions of this setback for Kante are hard to predict. Having suffered the same injury against Juve in November, it was assumed he would only miss one or two games. His subsequent six-match absence has had a devastating impact on Chelsea's campaign.
His availability for the massive clash with Liverpool on January 2 is now in doubt, adding further strain onto an already intense month which includes the Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham and a trip to the Etihad Stadium to face champions Manchester City.
When it appeared a recently decimated squad was beginning to be reassembled, Kante's injury setback only further heightens the stress on a troubled area.
I have previously written at length about the need to sign a long-term replacement for Kante (if that's even possible) given his persistent injury issues, and this is just further proof of that.
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