Mauricio Pochettino has dismissed speculation linking Chelsea’s training regimen to Romeo Lavia’s recent injury setback, following the summer signing’s season-ending injury announcement on Wednesday.

Hard Season

Chelsea has encountered an abnormal and persistent string of injuries throughout the 2023-24 season, with key players like Christopher Nkunku, Reece James, and Robert Sanchez among those sidelined for extended periods.

Lavia, who became the club’s final acquisition of their substantial summer spending spree, arriving from Southampton for a staggering £58 million, has only managed to play for 32 minutes this season.

The methods of Pochettino are so hard ?

After initially arriving at the club with a pre-existing injury, the 20-year-old later endured an ankle issue. His debut match appearance occurred in December when he came on as a substitute against Crystal Palace. Unfortunately, he sustained a thigh injury during the game, and the club confirmed that, following a setback in his recovery, his season has come to an end.

However, speaking before Chelsea’s Premier League clash with Burnley on Saturday, Pochettino emphasized that overtraining was not to blame.

“No, it’s a different issue,” Pochettino responded when asked if Lavia had aggravated the problem he had experienced at Southampton. “It’s challenging to explain the situation precisely because I’m not a doctor.

“The crucial point is to clarify that during the nine months, he spent very few weeks training with us. When he joined the club, he was already injured. I believe it was his hip, or something similar, that was the issue. Then, when he finally started training with us, he sustained a foot injury.

“After training with us for a few weeks, he was available for the Wolverhampton game but didn’t feature. Subsequently, he played 30 minutes against Crystal Palace and sustained a quad injury, depriving him of further training opportunities with us.”

Lavia’s problem has appeared since he was playing for Southampton

Pochettino also said : ” ‘I don’t know, you showed me, “the methods of Pochettino are so hard”, no? But he didn’t train with me.

‘He is sad. It is a sad situation. We hope he can become stronger and for sure, we are going to help him to become stronger and be available for the pre-season and the next season to show his quality.’

Despite enduring a season marred by injuries and a growingly disgruntled fanbase, there were reasons for Pochettino to feel optimistic as Vincent Kompany’s side prepared to visit Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea remains undefeated in all but one of their last seven matches across various competitions, and they are strengthening their home performance amid a challenging campaign.