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The second international break of the season is now upon us and for Chelsea, this two-week period is absolutely crucial.
While the Blues will not be playing any matches over the next fortnight, recovery and preparation are key for Enzo Maresca's young group of players after a gruelling three weeks of action. Following the conclusion of the last international break, Chelsea played seven games over a three-week period and it has took its toll on the squad.
A total of seven players missed Saturday's dramatic victory over Liverpool through injury. One of those was Wesley Fofana, whose problem was not an injury as such but the French defender had to sit out as per concussion protocol after he clashed with Filip Jorgensen during the Blues' win at Lincoln City last month.
Elsewhere, Tosin Adarabioyo missed the match with a calf problem, Cole Palmer with a groin injury, Andrey Santos with a muscular issue, while Liam Delap, Dario Essugo and Levi Colwill are all long-term absentees. Maresca will be hopeful Tosin, Palmer and Santos will return after the international break, while he patiently waits for the other three to recover.
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All seven of those listed are not going on international duty and will be allowed to spend time at the club's training base in Cobham to recover. Also, the likes of Robert Sanchez, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Jorrel Hato, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, Alejandro Garnacho, Facundo Buonanotte and Joao Pedro will remain in England over the break.
Reece James, too, with the 25-year-old withdrawing from the England squad on Monday morning due to an injury. Maresca will be hoping it is nothing serious given the form his captain has been in at the start of this season.
A trip to Nottingham Forest awaits the Blues once the break has concluded, before back-to-back home matches against Ajax and Sunderland in the Champions League and Premier League, respectively, conclude the week. It is then three straight away games for Chelsea, with trips to Wolves in the Carabao Cup, Tottenham in the league and Qarabag - who play in Baku, Azerbaijan - in the Champions League.
Wolves then come to Stamford Bridge before the third international break of the campaign. While the fixture list is hectic and demanding, there are some seriously winnable matches for the Blues up until the next break as Maresca looks to build some momentum after the weekend's famous win over Liverpool.
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