Xabi Alonso said Chelsea will look for "solutions, not excuses" after João Pedro was ruled out for several weeks with a thigh injury.
The striker missed Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Tottenham at Stamford Bridge after picking up the injury in training last week and is set for a spell on the sidelines, beginning with Wednesday's Carabao Cup trip to play Liverpool at Anfield.
There was a boost for Alonso however with summer signing Emmanuel Emegha fit to make his debut after recovering from a hamstring problem.
The loss of João Pedro though is significant, with Chelsea having struggled for their usual attacking fluency in the two Premier League games he has missed, against Spurs and in September's 3-0 loss to Brentford.
"He has an injury on his thigh and he's going be out for a few weeks," Alonso said. "Let's see how many. We don't want to predict on that. But not ready for the next games.
"He's a key player. We will miss him, but we have to be ready to deal with the injury, and be competitive and try and win with the players we have available. This is the situation."
João Pedro has scored five league goals this season and has been a key part of Chelsea's forward three alongside Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer, but his absence against Spurs and against Brentford seemed to significantly impact the way Rogers and Palmer linked up.
The team have failed to score in either of the league games the Brazilian has missed.
Alonso has Danny Welbeck available for the trip to Merseyside as well as Emegha, with both players able to step in as direct replacements for João Pedro.
On Saturday however the manager opted to play Rogers in an unfamiliar number nine position with youngster Geovany Quenda coming in on the left wing.
Alonso believes he has the squad to cope with attacking injuries.
"Yes for sure," he said. "This is why you build a squad. It's a situation that can happen and you need to be looking for solutions, not looking for excuses."
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Emegha, who joined from sister club Strasbourg in the summer, has been prevented from making his debut until now but Alonso confirmed the 23-year-old will be in the squad and could play some part at Anfield.
He scored 31 goals in 78 appearances for the Ligue 1 side and made his debut for the Netherlands in 2025.
"It's important we have him available because he has special qualities," Alonso said. "He's been training in a good way to allow him to build a strong base for his fitness. Maybe tomorrow he has the chance to play."
Palmer will be suspended the for the game at Anfield after his red card for two bookings against Spurs.
"We spoke," Alonso said. "He knows the mistake he made, things that you can avoid. I hope that it's not going to be repeated, and he's aware of that. He's mature and it was a mistake."
