Should Christensen’s injury prove to be one that requires a spell on the sidelines, or certainly one that denies him starting pre-season training as early as he would like, it could leave Tuchel facing a problem, partly because Brazilian defender Thiago Silva has also been away in action on the international stage.
James, Chilwell and Mount, have final match to look forward to on Sunday, as they face Italy.
Seemingly, all Chelsea players currently away in action on international action will all be hoping to enjoy their extended period of leave to rest up and recharge their batteries before reporting back for pre-season training, meaning if they are not at full tilt for the start of the season – which officially begins on August 11 for Chelsea when they face Villarreal in the UEFA Super Cup final.
Who could Tuchel turn to in the hope that Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger and Kurt Zouma have some support and competition for places?
Tuchel could face a centre-back problem, especially if Christensen is struggling with his injury.
However, Chelsea have been tipped to splash out big sums of money on a new central-defender this summer, with the likes of Bayern Munich’s Niklas Sule, Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane and Marquinhos of Paris Saint-Germain all being linked with moves to west London, Tuchel may already have the answer to his conundrum staring right in front of him.
The answer could well be young defender Marc Guehi. Recently returning to West London following a season long-loan spell at Swansea City where he helped the Swans reach the Championship Play-Off Final in May, the 20-year-old will be hoping to make the step-up into the first-team squad this forthcoming season and creep into Tuchel’s thoughts.
Marc Guehi was fantastic during his time in south Wales and certainly proved himself as somebody who can be a future star at Premier League level.
Former Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard initially made verdict on Guehi and could be anything to go by, it is most certainly possible. That is because Lampard, who was sacked by the Blues back in January, handed Guehi his first-team debut at Stamford Bridge in September 2019, playing the full 90 minutes of a 7-1 hammering of Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup.
Lampard again opted to include Guehi in the side again against Manchester United. Although the Blues were beaten 2-1 that evening.
Lampard was full of praise for the young central-defender, alongside fellow youngster Billy Gilmour, and waxed lyrical about his showing.
“I thought Billy [Gilmour] and Marc Guehi were both really good, Marc was as comfortable as anything,” Lampard told BBC Radio 5 Live after the match.
“I’ve come away from tonight – obviously, we don’t want to lose and we know where this is in the competition – but at the same time, there’s lots of positives.
“In the bigger picture, Marc Guehi’s performance showed that he’s more than comfortable at this level and Billy the same, he was bright.”
With his performances for Swansea during the 2020/21 campaign speaking for themselves, with the defender averaging a very impressive 1.6 interceptions, 1.7 tackles and 2.7 clearances per game, it highlights just how big a future he could have.
Although it is unlikely that he will become a first-team regular throughout the forthcoming season, it should be advised that Tuchel has a close look at him during pre-season, especially if he is going to be light on options at the start of the campaign.
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