Mauricio Pochettino might have joined in with jeering Chelsea fans

Mauricio Pochettino said he would have joined in with jeering Chelsea fans who booed his team against Brentford had he been a supporter, as he confirmed three more of his players have succumbed to injury and illness.

The Argentinian was without eight squad members for Saturday’s 2-2 draw at the Gtech Stadium, when away fans turned on their own team after they threw away a first-half lead and needed a late Axel Disasi goal to avoid an 11th Premier League loss of the season.

Now he faces also being without Ben Chilwell, who has been sent for specialist treatment on a knee problem, and Levi Colwill, who has an injured toe, for Monday’s game against Newcastle at Stamford Bridge.

Levi Colwill and Ben Chilwell will miss Monday's game against Newcastle United due to injury.

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 7, 2024

Of greatest concern to Pochettino however will be the fitness of Conor Gallagher, one of his most consistent performers this season, who has not trained since the Brentford game and is suffering from a virus.

“He’s not here the last three days,” said Pochettino of the 24-year-old. “We’ll see if Saturday or tomorrow he has the possibility to train.

“The problem with these situations is you lose weight and energy is down, and you need time to recover. We need to assess him in the next few days.”

Pochettino has consistently pointed to the impact that injuries have had on his team’s progress since he took charge in July.

Ben Chilwell is undergoing specialist medical assessment, while Conor Gallagher has not been involved at Cobham this week due to illness.

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) March 7, 2024

He has rarely enjoyed an absentee list of fewer than seven players, and is likely to be without as many as 10 for the visit of Eddie