Injury blow: Huge Chelsea setback could actually be a blessing in disguise for Tuchel - opinion

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has offered an update on the fitness of defender Andreas Christensen, following Wednesday’s shambolic 4-2 defeat to Arsenal at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League.

Speaking in his post-match press conference, Tuchel revealed that the Denmark international had been withdrawn at half-time against the Gunners due to injury, despite suggestion that the change had been a tactical substitution.

The 26-year-old centre-back set the wheels in motion for what was to be a bruising night for the Blues, with his tame backpass allowing Eddie Nketiah to net his first Premier League goal of the season.

Having not resurfaced for the second half, it was believed that the £31.5m-rated man had been dragged off by his manager for that error, although the former Paris Saint-Germain moved to quash that speculation, while also blaming the pitch for the player’s early error: “He said he cannot continue, so I think he had some problems. I don’t take a player out because he makes one mistake.

“To say the pitch is difficult to play here it maybe sounds like an excuse, but it is a very, very difficult pitch that we have here. It’s not in our favour.

“The ball bounces very awkwardly in front of Andreas when he wants to play this ball. But still, we had the same mistake against Real Madrid that cost us the next round of the Champions League, and this one cost us the next match. I can’t remember when we got two goals like this.”

While his manager may be attempting to dig him out of a hole by targeting the home turf, there is no denying that it was a costly error from the 55-cap international, with that early blunder setting the tone for what would be a dismal defensive display all-around.

Although Christensen has since come