Four Chelsea players approach nightmare scenario vs Brentford in major Enzo Fernandez worry

Mauricio Pochettino's Chelsea must go again. Less than one week after their draining Carabao Cup final against Liverpool, which took a mental and physical toll, the Blues are set for their third game in six days.

Little that was proven against Leeds on Wednesday will count for much now if they are unable to back up the resolve, if not quality of performance, against Brentford on Saturday. That this young side, who have shown themselves to be fragile throughout the season, have such pressure on them is evidence of just how demanding the fans at Stamford Bridge remain despite two years of mediocrity.

However, with their hosts on a relegation-threatening run of two wins in 10 and three in 17, there is no room for error. The problem for Pochettino is just how much football his team has played in recent weeks.

Since the start of 2024 there have been 12 games for Chelsea in all competitions. Compare that to Arsenal, who have only played in eight, and the true scale of things is clear.

Add in the mountain of injuries for Pochettino to contend with across the campaign, and it has been a testing time. Not that this gets much sympathy given the academy prospects available to use — as Jurgen Klopp has shown in the last two weeks — and sheer scale of spending on the group as a whole.

The issue is that the manager has not been able to rotate — or has chosen not to — as much as would have been preferable. Although stand-in captain, and saviour from Wednesday, Conor Gallagher, did get himself a rest for an hour in mid-week, that has been about the limit of things.

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