Chelsea have already quietly made one brilliant change to the club this season

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There is one key element that caused havoc for Chelsea on the pitch last season under Mauricio Pochettino.

The Blues were hit worse than anyone by injuries last season, and this has already threatened to do so again when it comes to life under Enzo Maresca.

The manager was forced to get creative when it came to his team selection at the weekend against Bournemouth. Axel Disasi featured at right-back, with him not exaclty making his case to start there regularly.

This was forced due to injuries to Reece James and Malo Gusto, with the England international still a little way away from recovery.

However, it has since been stated that James has not suffered a setback, and the Blues are actually just not looking to rush him back into action.

Chelsea’s change to injury approach a real positive

12 months ago there was every chance Chelsea would risk their club captain straight away, and likely unfortunately face the consequences of him picking up another problem.

This season though, the approach seems to have changed from the Blues, and it is certainly for the better.

The same has occured with other players too. Despite a 45 minute appearance against Bournemouth, Jadon Sancho carried on training indoors as part of his rehabilitation programme to get back to full fitness.

Chelsea managing players’ returns

Pedro Neto has also seen his minutes managed since he made the move to West London, and the Europe Conference League squad suggests that this method of thinking is going to continue long into the campaign.

Both Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana were excluded from the squad for the group stages of the competition, despite the fact neither have suffered a serious injury since the start of the season.

The club are no doubt wary that the pair played 45 minutes between them last season, and how important they can be for the club if they can stay fit.