Richarlison will undergo an MRI scan to determine the severity of the hamstring injury he sustained at the World Cup, Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte has revealed.
Richarlison scored three times in Brazil's run to the last eight in Qatar – including a brace in their group-stage opener against Serbia – after recovering from a calf injury ahead of the World Cup.
However, the Spurs attacker was forced off with a hamstring issue in Brazil's quarter-final clash with Croatia, with the Selecao going on to lose a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw.
Spurs resume their Premier League campaign against Brentford on Monday, and while Ben Davies and Rodrigo Bentancur have returned from the World Cup in good condition, Conte faces an anxious wait on Richarlison's fitness.
"Ben Davies is okay and started to work with us last week. He has recovered," Conte told the club's website on Tuesday.
"Rodrigo has started to work. I think that he's going to be good for the game against Aston Villa [on January 1].
"For Richy, tomorrow he's going to have an MRI to know very well the importance of the injury. After tomorrow, we will see very well the time he needs to recover."
Spurs have spent much of this season battling injuries to key attackers, but Conte's side still entered the World Cup break fourth in the Premier League table, three points behind second-placed Manchester City.
A closer look at how the four bosses to lead both Chelsea and Tottenham fared
Mauricio Pochettino’s appointment at Chelsea on a two-year contract continues the strong managerial connection between the Blues and Tottenham.
The Argentinian becomes the fifth man to manage both clubs in the Premier League era and here, the PA news agency looks at the records of his predecessors.
Glenn HoddleChelsea 1993-96: P157, W53 (33.7 per cent), D54, L50
Tottenham 2001-03: P104, W41 (38.3 per cent), D18, L45
The long-time Spurs midfielder finished his career as Chelsea player-manager for two seasons before a third solely in the dugout. His sides never finished higher than 11th in the league but reached an FA Cup final, losing 4-0 to Manchester United, and semi-final as well as a Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final.
After spells with England and Southampton, he took charge at White Hart Lane with similar results to his Chelsea spell – Spurs reached a League Cup final, losing to Blackburn, but finished ninth and 10th in the league before he was sacked six games into the next season.
Andre Villas-BoasChelsea 2011-12: P40, W19 (47.5 per cent), D11, L10
Tottenham 2012-13: P80, W44 (55.0 per cent), D20 L16
After their success with Jose Mourinho, Chelsea once again turned to Porto to recruit Villas-Boas, who had worked as part of Mourinho’s staff. He was unable to work similar magic as manager, lasting just 40 games and less than a season in the role.
He lasted twice as long at Spurs but narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification in his first season and was dismissed with the club lying seventh shortly before Christmas in his second, having failed to make the most of the then-world record fee received for Gareth Bale’s move to Real Madrid and lost 6-0 to Manchester City and 5-0 to Liverpool in his last five league games in charge.
Jose MourinhoChelsea 2004-07, 2013-15: P321, W204 (63.6 per cent), D69, L48
Tottenham 2019-21: P86, W44 (51.2 per cent), D19, L23
Announcing himself as a “Special One”, Mourinho lived up to that billing in his first spell at Stamford Bridge with back-to-back league titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups. His unbeaten home record in the league lasted 77 games in all and into his second spell, when he won the Premier League and League Cup for a third time each.
After another League Cup and a Europa League with Manchester United, Spurs banked on Mourinho as Pochettino’s replacement to end a trophy drought amounting to a solitary League Cup since 1991. With Spurs finishing sixth and then seventh in the league, though, Mourinho was sacked just days before his chance to bring silverware in the 2021 League Cup final – which Manchester City won 1-0 against a team led by caretaker manager Ryan Mason.
Antonio ConteChelsea 2016-18: P106, W69 (65.1 per cent), D17, L20
Tottenham 2021-23: P77, W41 (53.2 per cent), D12, L24*
Conte brought a Premier League title and an FA Cup to Chelsea, but was sacked after they finished only fifth in the league in his second season.
His volatile style never meshed easily with Tottenham and his exit in March, railing at “selfish players” and Tottenham’s “story” of failing to win trophies, has left them still searching for a permanent successor, Mason again at the helm after Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini was remarkably sacked as interim manager.
(*includes 3-0 loss to Rennes by forfeit in Europa Conference League, December 2021)
Mauricio PochettinoTottenham 2014-19: P293, W159 (54.3 per cent), D62, L72
Chelsea: appointed 2023
Unlike the other names on this list, Pochettino moves to Chelsea having first managed Tottenham rather than the other way round.
He took Spurs to the 2019 Champions League final, where they lost to Liverpool, and his return was widely craved by sections of their fanbase – any notable success at Chelsea will therefore be all the more painful for their London rivals.
Mauricio Pochettino’s managerial record
Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed as the new permanent Chelsea boss.
The Blues have turned to the former Tottenham manager at the end of a turbulent campaign which saw them finish 12th in the Premier League.
Here, the PA news agency examines Pochettino’s managerial record.
EspanyolWon 53, drew 38, lost 70; 32.9 per cent win rate
Having finished his playing career with the Catalan club, Pochettino was pressed into service to lead a struggling team in January 2009 and lifted them from the relegation zone to a mid-table finish – drawing with local rivals Barcelona in the Copa del Rey and beating them in LaLiga.
Espanyol finished 11th, eighth and 14th in his three full seasons in charge, though the former Argentina defender left with them bottom of the table in November 2012 after a poor run of form and a dispute over financial restrictions.
SouthamptonWon 23, drew 18, lost 19; 38.3 per cent win rate
Taking over mid-season from the popular Nigel Adkins, Pochettino led Saints to a 14th-placed finish in 2012-13 and an impressive eighth the following campaign.
Conducting press conferences via an interpreter throughout his spell on the south coast, Pochettino was nevertheless clearly able to get his message across to an over-achieving squad and position himself for higher-profile roles to come.
TottenhamWon 159, drew 62, lost 72; 54.3 per cent win rate
Pochettino’s five-year reign at Tottenham marked the most prolonged period of success and stability in their recent history, with the club finishing fifth, third, second, third and fourth and reaching finals of the Champions League and the League Cup.
The Argentinian nurtured a Spurs squad that was the youngest in the Premier League when they ended as runners-up in 2016-17, containing a mix of domestic talents such as Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Eric Dier, and overseas players including Christian Eriksen, Son Heung-min and Toby Alderweireld.
A club that had had 10 coaches in 12 years before Pochettino’s arrival in 2014 have cycled through Jose Mourinho, interim boss Ryan Mason (twice), Nuno Espirito Santo, Antonio Conte and caretaker Cristian Stellini in short order since his departure in November 2019.
Paris St GermainWon 55, drew 15, lost 14; 65.5 per cent win rate
The French giants, where Pochettino spent time as a player, brought him the first major trophies of his managerial career by winning the Coupe de France in 2020-21 and Ligue 1 in 2021-22.
However, his tenure was not deemed successful as a runners-up finish to Lille in 2020-21 meant PSG missed out on the Ligue 1 title for only the second time in nine seasons, and he failed to guide the capital club to the Champions League final.
Pochettino was sacked last summer having won less than 66 per cent of matches in all competitions, whereas his predecessor Thomas Tuchel – who started this season as Chelsea boss – had a 75 per cent win rate across his two-and-a-half years in charge.
Mauricio Pochettino appointed Chelsea manager
Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed Chelsea manager on a two-year deal.
The former Tottenham coach, who has been out of work since leaving Paris St Germain last year, will take over from interim boss Frank Lampard who oversaw his final game in charge against Newcastle on Sunday.
It brings to an end an almost two-month process to find a permanent successor to Graham Potter, who was sacked on April 2.
The PA news agency understands Pochettino had been the club’s first choice from early in the search, which was led by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.
He was the only candidate the club got into serious talks with, despite conversations that took place with former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann, ex-Spain coach Luis Enrique and Burnley’s Vincent Kompany.
The new manager, whose contract includes an option for a third season, will work closely with Winstanley and Stewart as the club look to rebuild after their worst season in 30 years.
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
