Reece James was missing from the squad to face Southampton at the St Mary’s.

James who’s a key player for Chelsea wasn’t available for selection, and Thomas Tuchel has calmed fears about a likely injury, as he revealed that the Chelsea right wing-back missed the game through illness and not injury.

Speaking to BT Sport ahead of the match, Tuchel said of James’ absence: “He trained bad! No, no, it’s not true. He’s sick unfortunately and could not travel.”

Trevoh Chalobah is also missing from the squad, and explaining his absence, Tuchel said: “And Trevoh Chalobah is injured, a problem from the match [vs Leicester] so with N’Golo Kante and some other players [missing] it’s a tight squad.”

Speaking about the lack of players in his squad at present, Tuchel added: “I love the players, I love to work with them, but still if you see our upcoming schedule, if you see the game today, and you see the bench, it’s a bit worrying in terms that we have, unfortunately, already a lot of key players out and not available.

“A team on our kind of level and a team on that level of competitions and desire to win all the time needs confidence in the squad, needs everyone available to push each other to the very limit.

“We struggled in the very beginning of the season, unfortunately, and hope to turn things around quickly.”