Mauricio Pochettino has bemoaned the injury crisis Chelsea are currently suffering.

The Blues had been without so many of their key players for large periods of last season, as well as the current campaign.

Pochettino believes that his side’s injury worries have really cost the team.

The Argentine told the official Chelsea website: “We have many players injured, key players who cannot compete and train with us. That is so important.

“You can see how different it is for a club like Manchester City, how affected they are, when there is no Rodri of [Kevin] De Bruyne, and that’s only two players.

“For us, we miss many key players that can help us develop and improve the team faster. Yes, in this way, when we recover all the players, for sure we will be ready to compete for big things. Even now, we need to believe that we can compete for big things despite the circumstance.”

Some of Chelsea’s injured players are expected back into the fold after the international break, including Reece James.