“What we did was close to being irresponsible” - Thomas Tuchel says Chelsea star won’t be involved against Brentford amid injury fears

Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that N'Golo Kante will not play a part in Chelsea's next match. The Blues face Brentford in the quarterfinals of the EFL Cup tonight (December 22).

Kante started Chelsea's weekend Premier League fixture against Wolves despite just recently returning from an injury. The Frenchman was forced to play due to the COVID-19 outbreak and injury situation within the Blues camp. Kante ended up playing all 90 minutes, much to Tuchel's displeasure.

Kante has played a total of 14 matches this season. He has been on the pitch for 812 minutes, which roughly converts to nine full games. The French midfielder has already suffered two injuries this season and has been unable to play for an extended period without any break.

Speaking ahead of the clash against Brentford, the Chelsea boss said (as quoted by London Football News):

“What we did with N’Golo Kante – 90 minutes – was close to being irresponsible. Will he be involved in the squad now against Brentford? No. Simply no. I will not do it and we will now give him time to recover.”

Tuchel's frustration is palpable after Chelsea had just 17 players, including three goalkeepers, for their 0-0 stalemate against Wolves. Mateo Kovacic, who has just returned from a long-term injury, was also forced to play 25 minutes at the Molineux.

The Blues took to the field against Wolves without Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Romelu Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who have COVID-19. Jorginho missed the game as a precaution after inconclusive tests for the virus, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek was also unavailable for selection.

Andreas Christensen has a back injury as well. To make matters worse for Chelsea, Trevoh Chalobah and Hakim Ziyech also hobbled off against Bruno Lage's side.

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Chelsea's squad situation could see them drop out of the title race

As outlined earlier, Chelsea's squad is ravaged by injuries and COVID-19. Tuchel's side were praised for their depth early on in the season, but a series of high-profile absences have flung those claims out of the window.

The Blues have won just one of their last five matches across all competitions. Chelsea have also not kept a clean sheet since November 24 and have struggled to finish chances in the absence of Lukaku.

Their recent results have seen the club fall six points behind Premier League leaders Manchester City after 18 matches. The Cityzens' ominous form and Chelsea's on and off-field issues might just see Tuchel's outfit fall out of the title race in the coming months.