Chelsea have something of an injury crisis on their hands following Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Crystal Palace.

It all started with Alvaro Morata, who suffered a grade two hamstring earlier this month against Manchester City and was expected to be out for six weeks.

He's due to return against AS Roma in the Champions League this week, but Antonio Conte will be acutely aware of the risks of bringing back a player too soon.

N'Golo Kante is also set to miss the rest of October with a hamstring injury suffered on international duty with France.

And then there's Victor Moses, who sustained the very same against Palace and might not return to face Manchester United on November 5.

All these injuries will undoubtedly concern Conte. He had no such problems last season but this time around, his players are dropping like flies.

If Chelsea are to rival both Manchester clubs for the Premier League title this term they will need guaranteed starters like Morata, Kante and Moses to stay fit.

A solution must be found and fast, and according to the Telegraph, the actual problem may have been identified.

Medical experts believe Chelsea's hamstring issues stem from the players having to work harder than last season due to being in the Champions League.

A lack of squad depth has also had a negative effect, as Matt Law explains.

"The workload has been taking its toll, as medical experts believe that the increased number of games the Champions League has brought this season, together with international commitments and tough training sessions, is behind the recent spate of hamstring injuries," writes Law.

"Conte has made no secret of the fact he fears his Chelsea squad is too small to compete in both the Premier League and Champions League this season."

Not what Chelsea fans wanted to hear. Conte believes he lacks the resources to challenge on all fronts this season, suggesting he may have to prioritised certain competitions over others.

Chelsea's problems stretch further than just injuries, though, with Law also revealing that Conte grilled the players after losing to Palace.

He reportedly launched a full-scale inquest to discover exactly what went wrong at Selhurst Park and said improvements must be made in training.