Antonio Conte has said that Michy Batshuayi will not start for Chelsea against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup semifinal second leg on Wednesday, despite Alvaro Morata missing out due to a back injury that has left him unable to train without pain.
“I don’t know if this is the right time,” Conte said when asked if Batshuayi would play vs. Arsenal. “I think that every player had their chance to play and to show me their value. Now I think I have to make the best decision for the team.
“Every game is different. The quality of your opponent is different. I have to make the best decision to try and exploit my players in the best way. Our job is not simple, not easy. We have to try to make the best decision every time for the team. And to try to improve our players. Sometimes we are able, sometimes we are not able. But you have to do your best to reach your target.”
“If another striker arrives, then Batshuayi will go on loan,” Conte said. “I think he wants to have the opportunity to play with regularity. I think this is right. If we stay with the same players from the start [of the season], it doesn’t change. One player goes out, one player comes in. One player comes in, one player goes out.”
“If you remember, in the past, he stopped himself for a problem in his back,” Conte said of the Spanish international. “Now this pain has come back. I hope it’s nothing serious, but this is the second game that he stopped. He wasn’t available against Brighton because this problem was there the day before as well [regardless of his suspension].
“Now it’s with the medical department to try and solve this problem and give him the opportunity to have a training session without pain. This is the real problem now, not that he’s not scoring or that his confidence is down. For every striker, you can pass this type of moment. The real problem now is he has to overcome this problem in his back. I hope to solve this problem very quickly because we need Alvaro. We need Alvaro’s commitment.”
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