Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has revealed that key centre-back Antonio Rudiger has missed the home game against Arsenal through injury, having let the German defender face off and attend the next London derby against West Ham.
Rudiger was not seen when the Chelsea squad was announced, leading to speculation as to why he was absent. Fellow midfielder Thiago Silva was also left out of the starting line-up, but was included in the substitutes list.
News about your Chelsea team tonight!#CheArs pic.twitter.com/q5y8IKHLiA
– Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 20, 2022
And Tuchel was quick to assuage concerns about Rudiger, telling Sky Sports he picked up the injury during the 2-0 FA Cup semi-final win over Crystal Palace at the weekend.
‘It’s a little sore in the groin, minor trauma. I hope, and the doctors tell me today it is unfortunately too early, but he will be preparing for the game against West Ham,’ said the Chelsea boss.
Rudiger’s last games at Chelsea?
The end of this season could be the last of Rudiger’s career at Chelsea, with the centre-back’s contract expiring this summer and no progress in new negotiations.
Meanwhile, the uncertainty surrounding Chelsea’s new owners following Roman Abramovich’s sanctions means no new contracts can be discussed while that remains unclear.
“Antonio Rudiger is still awaiting discussions with the new Chelsea owners before making a decision on his future.”
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– Simon Phillips (@siphillipssport) April 20, 2022
This has left the German in limbo, with Real Madrid, Barcelona and even Manchester United linked with adding him to their team on a free transfer upon leaving Chelsea. It would be a sad end to the career of the German in west London, who has been one of the best defenders in England’s top flight since Thomas Tuchel took over.
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Premier League table
| # | Team | MP | EASY | P |
| first | Liverpool FC | 32 | sixty one | 76 |
| 2 | City of Manchester | thirty first | 52 | 74 |
| 3 | Chelsea FC | 30 | 41 | 62 |
| 4 | Tottenham Hotspur | 32 | 18 | 57 |
| 5 | Arsenal FC | thirty first | 8 | 54 |
| 6 | Manchester United | 33 | 4 | 54 |
| 7 | West Ham United | 33 | 9 | 52 |
| 8 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 32 | 5 | 49 |
| 9 | Leicester City | 30 | -4 | 40 |
| ten | Brighton & Hove Albion | 32 | -8 | 40 |
| 11 | Brentford FC | 33 | -8 | 39 |
| twelfth | Southampton FC | 32 | -14 | 39 |
| 13 | Crystal Palace | thirty first | 3 | 37 |
| 14 | Newcastle United Football Club | 32 | -19 | 37 |
| 15 | Aston Villa | thirty first | -4 | 36 |
| 16 | Leeds United | 32 | -30 | 33 |
| 17 | Everton FC | 30 | -19 | 28 |
| 18 | Burnley FC | thirty first | -19 | 25 |
| 19 | Watford FC | 32 | -32 | 22 |
| 20 | Norwich City | 32 | -44 | 21 |
| Player | Team | Goal |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | 22 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 17 |
| Ronaldo, Cristiano | Manchester United | 15 |
| Jota, Diogo | Liverpool FC | 15 |
| Mane, Sadio | Liverpool FC | 14 |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | twelfth |
| Toney, Ivan | Brentford FC | twelfth |
| De Bruyne, Kevin | City of Manchester | 11 |
| Zaha, Wilfried | Crystal Palace | 11 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | ten |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | ten |
| Mahrez, Riyad | City of Manchester | ten |
| Pukki, Teemu | Norwich City | ten |
| Sterling, Raheem | City of Manchester | ten |
| Raphinha | Leeds United | ten |
| Vardy, Jamie | Leicester City | ten |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 9 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 9 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Smith-Rowe, Emile | Arsenal FC | 9 |
| Player | Team | Red card | Yellow card |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bissouma, Yves | Brighton & Hove Albion | 0 | ten |
| Neves, Ruben | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 0 | 9 |
| Mings, Tyrone | Aston Villa | 0 | 9 |
| Brownhill, Josh | Burnley FC | 0 | 9 |
| Mctominay, Scott | Manchester United | 0 | 9 |
| Firpo, Junior | Leeds United | 0 | 9 |
| Salisu, Mohammed | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 0 | 7 |
| Gallagher, Conor | Crystal Palace | 0 | 8 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | first | 7 |
| Moreno, Rodrigo | Leeds United | 0 | 8 |
| Cash, Matty | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| McGinn, John | Aston Villa | 0 | 8 |
| Rice, Declan | West Ham United | 0 | 8 |
| Bednarek, Jan | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Tarkowski, James | Burnley FC | 0 | 8 |
| Shaw, Luke | Manchester United | 0 | 8 |
| Romeu, Oriol | Southampton FC | 0 | 8 |
| Xhaka, Granite | Arsenal FC | first | 7 |
| Player | Team | Support |
|---|---|---|
| Salah, Mohamed | Liverpool FC | twelfth |
| Alexander-Arnold, Trent | Liverpool FC | twelfth |
| Robertson, Andy | Liverpool FC | ten |
| Kane, Harry | Tottenham Hotspur | 9 |
| Pogba, Paul | Manchester United | 9 |
| Mount, Mason | Chelsea FC | 8 |
| Bowen, Jarrod | West Ham United | 8 |
| Lacazette, Alexander | Arsenal FC | 7 |
| Mbeumo, Bryan | Brentford FC | 7 |
| God, Gabriel | City of Manchester | 7 |
| Barnes, Harvey | Leicester City | 7 |
| Cancelo, Joao | City of Manchester | 7 |
| Son, Heung Min | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 |
| Fernandes, Bruno | Manchester United | 6 |
| Antonio, Michael | West Ham United | 6 |
| Benrahma, Tell | West Ham United | 6 |
| James, Reece | Chelsea FC | 6 |
| Kulusevski, Dejan | Tottenham Hotspur | 6 |
| Dennis, Emmanuel | Watford FC | 5 |
| Saka, Bukayo | Arsenal FC | 5 |
