The international break is well underway and many of Chelsea's stars have flown around the world to represent their home nations as they prepare for friendlies or to qualify for the next competition. On this occasion, Chelsea have more players than usual remaining at Cobham for Mauricio Pochettino to work with, and Raheem Sterling did not even wait until England duty started to ensure he made a strong point to Gareth Southgate.
With Chelsea finally starting to see an upturn in form, with wins coming against Burnley, Fulham and Brighton, Pochettino has planned to make good use of the two-week break between Premier League matches. There is little time for rest.
«To improve players, try to recover players from injury in two weeks, we're going to spend working in the training ground,» Pochettino told football.london. «Of course different mood from the last time, last month. With a victory, it is much better. I think pushing, keep pushing and working hard to try and be better.»
While it will be frustrating for many to be robbed of the momentum Chelsea were building, some of Pochettino's players could benefit from the delay before the match against Arsenal and an intense run of games.
With Reece James set to be back from both injury and suspension for the clash against the Gunners, this period will allow him to attempt to get up to speed in time for the match. Building match-fitness in this period will be difficult, but with some semblance of a backline remaining at Cobham in the shape of Thiago Silva and Marc Cucurella, he could find himself back working with Chelsea's shape.
Likewise, Trevoh Chalobah and Benoit Badiashile could help fill out that defensive setup. The duo were recognised as partially participating in first team
Read on football.london