It is in 22 days' time that Chelsea will resume their 2022/23 campaign at home to Bournemouth – and there is much work for Graham Potter and his coaching staff to do in order to ensure the Blues are ready and able to compete for a top-four finish in the Premier League.
Chelsea's top-flight form prior to the World Cup break was concerning. The dismal defeat at Brighton was followed by a humbling at Stamford Bridge against Arsenal. Potter and his side then went to St James' Park to take on Newcastle United and were duly dispatched 1-0.
It's left Chelsea eighth in the Premier League table after 14 matches. Of more concern is the gap to Tottenham Hotspur – who currently occupy the final Champions League place – is now eight points. It can't afford to become any larger when the campaign gets back underway.
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In the aftermath of the Newcastle United defeat, those Chelsea players not selected to represent their countries at the World Cup were given two weeks off. The majority opted to go away to rest and recover, both mentally and physically, after an arduous run of fixtures throughout October and early November.
The reduced senior group reconvened at Cobham last Tuesday for training and was supplemented with graduates from the Chelsea academy. It's understood an in-house match took place at the end of the week between a makeshift first-team XI and the Development Squad. The more experienced side was unsurprisingly victorious.
Yesterday evening a 25-man squad flew out to Abu Dhabi for a week-long warm-weather training camp. N'Golo Kante was included, although the Frenchman isn't anticipated to be fully fit until late February after undergoing hamstring surgery in October. He has played just 178 minutes of football this season.
Reece James, Wesley Fofana and Ben Chilwell are also with the group. The trio have been recovering from hamstring and knee injuries respectively during the World Cup break and are understood to be progressing well. football.london has been told there are tentative plans for James to make a return to training while out in the Middle East.
Twelve players from the Development Squad have also been taken on the trip. It is an opportunity for all to catch the eye of Potter and his staff in a similar fashion to that of Lewis Hall, who impressed in Chelsea's final two matches against Man City and Newcastle before the campaign was paused.
Dion Rankine has impressed for the Under-21s this term and could showcase himself as a genuine option at right wing-back. Cesare Casadei, signed from Inter Milan in the summer, will also be hoping to step up after a number of strong goalscoring performances for the Development Squad.
Omari Hutchinson was regularly involved with the first-team group after starring in Premier League 2 but was an unused substitute against Brighton, Man City and Newcastle. He will hope – perhaps even expect – to be given minutes when Chelsea take on Aston Villa on Sunday in a friendly match for the CBF | Al Wahda Challenge Cup.
Travelling Chelsea squad
Goalkeepers: Kepa, Bettinelli, Beach
Defenders: James, Chalobah, Fofana, Chilwell, Cucurella, Rankine, Brooking, Gilchrist, Humphreys
Midfielders: Jorginho, Kante, Loftus-Cheek, Chukwuemeka, Hall, Casadei, Webster, Elliott
Forwards: Aubameyang, Broja, Hutchinson, Mothersille, Burstow
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