Chelsea Faces Setback as Maxence Lacroix Out with Injury
Chelsea’s early-season rhythm has taken a heavy hit. Maxence Lacroix, the defender who has quietly become one of Xabi Alonso’s most trusted pieces, is staring at a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a serious hamstring injury.
Multiple sources have indicated to BBC Sport that the France international could be out until January. That timeline would rule the 26-year-old out of up to 10 matches and rip a sizeable hole in a back line Alonso has tried to keep settled through a demanding opening stretch.
The damage came in a split second on Wednesday night. Late in the first half of the Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool, Lacroix burst forward to throw himself in front of a shot. The sprint, the stretch, then the grimace. He did not re-emerge after the interval, and Chelsea went on to lose on penalties.
Since then, the club have been notably cautious with information. Inside Cobham, there is concern; in public, there is restraint.
Alonso, speaking before Saturday’s Premier League meeting with Manchester United, chose his words carefully.
“Max, he picked up an injury, and we expect that he’s not going to be ready before the international break. So he will be a few weeks out,” he said.
Behind that calm delivery lies the scale of the problem. Lacroix, a £52m summer signing from Crystal Palace, has started all but one of Chelsea’s 11 games in all competitions this season. Only Morgan Rogers has played more minutes. For a manager still bedding in ideas and combinations, that kind of continuity at centre-back is gold dust. Now it’s gone.
Options remain, but none come without caveats.
Chelsea’s centre-back group still features Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Josh Acheampong, Jorrel Hato and Aaron Anselmino. On paper, it’s a deep unit. In reality, it is fraying. Hato and Anselmino are also sidelined, and others have already been shunted into full-back roles to plug gaps elsewhere.
Alonso knows he must reshuffle.
“With Max’s injury, we have Wes, we have Levi, Josh, he could play as well as centre-back,” he said. “Jorrel when he is back with the team [is an option]. Wes has played [and] even if he missed the penalty [in the shootout], I think that he had a good game.
“He was consistent, he was strong and I saw many positives from his performance. We know the level that he has had and he’s going to be important.”
That last line feels telling. Fofana, long viewed as a cornerstone for the future, may now be thrust into a central leadership role sooner than planned. Colwill, too, moves from rotation piece to pillar. Acheampong, less tested, suddenly looks far closer to the firing line.
The defensive concerns arrive just as other fitness stories begin to turn. Alonso revealed that goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is being fitted with a special protective mask so he can play while he continues to recover from a broken jaw. It is a compromise, but at least it keeps his first-choice keeper on the pitch.
There was also relief over Moises Caicedo. The midfielder emerged from the bruising contest with Liverpool with some concern over a possible injury, but scans and assessments brought better news: he has avoided damage and is available.
So Chelsea approach Manchester United with their midfield intact, their goalkeeper patched up and their defensive structure abruptly altered. Lacroix’s absence changes the feel of the team: less settled, less rehearsed, more reliant on players rediscovering old levels quickly.
The season is still young, but the questions are already sharp. Can Alonso’s reshaped back line hold firm long enough for Lacroix to return, or will this be the injury that bends Chelsea’s campaign out of shape?
