The Chelsea rearguard, the only defence worth relying on in fantasy terms so far this season, may have been dealt a major blow with the news that Ashley Cole could face “a lengthy spell on the sidelines.”
Cole suffered a depressed fracture of the tibia (that’s the shinbone – Medical Ed) in last month’s Champions League clash with Atletico – that initially saw him miss three matches. Reports today confirm that Cole aggravated the injury before Sunday’s game with United which led him to having a painkilling injection before taking the field. Cole has now been withdrawn from the England squad for their forthcoming friendly with Brazil, and there’s now talk that he could be sidelined for a month or more…
While Chelsea have confirmed the details of the injury, a spell of absence has yet to be revealed. However, clearly Cole has an issue that could see him miss several matches after the international break.
This news, together with the the fact that Bosingwa is also currently sidelined with a knee injury, only cements Ivanovic’s place in the Chelsea defence. If a term of absence for Cole is confirmed then Ivanovic will be assured of starts at either right or left back, with Belletti or Ferreira providing options for Ancelotti.
Yuri Zhirkov is a more obvious replacement, however, he is still stuffering with a knee injury which continues to trouble him each time he nears a return to action. Right now we can discount him from this particular equation although, like the Cole situation, we’ll need to keep an ear to the ground for official club news.
Ivanovic has duly been confirmed on the Watchlist for the coming five games, replacing Ashley Cole.