Chelsea have little time to dwell on defeat to Real Madrid, with Southampton awaiting in less than 48 hours. The Blues' relentless schedule continues as they try to overcome the consecutive losses they have suffered at Stamford Bridge in their previous two matches.
The international break appears to have halted the momentum of Thomas Tuchel's side who were in fine form throughout February and March but now have it all to do to reestablish their confidence. The German coach is at a loss to explain the deficiencies in some aspects of Chelsea's April performances so far.
Following the Champions League first leg he said: "If we have the same talk five days ago, we will still speak about the same defensive performance. In five days, it is seven goals conceded and we didn't change anything: not from the approach, line ups, or the system. I don't think there's a deeper reason for it. It is alarming. In two games, seven goals, but nothing has changed."
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The Blues boss was clear one thing is required however. He added: "We are competitive and need to find our competitive spirit and our quality and then we can hope."
Chelsea must do that against Southampton who have proved to be stern opposition on the two occasions the sides have already met this season. football.london takes a look at just three of the changes Tuchel could look to make.
Marcos Alonso start and Cesar Azpilicueta rested: Chelsea's wing-backs were firmly tested against Real Madrid and must discover the influence they can have on a game for the Blues. Despite his drawbacks, Alonso could serve as a key part of re-establishing the Blues' attacking intent as they look to find some swagger in their play once again.
That does not necessarily mean he should drop straight to the bench, however, given how well he has deputised over the course of the season for Reece James. However, James' first start having returned from injury coming against the talented Vinicius Junior put him at the deep end. Providing his fitness is up to he should start to continue his comeback and better prepare him for the matches ahead, while Azpilicueta can receive some rest to ensure he is at his best for the run-in.
Trevoh Chalobah return: With Azpilicueta rested, it would leave Tuchel the decision whether to keep faith with Andreas Christensen or utilise another option. The Blues boss has already conceded he made a mistake combining the Denmark international with James on the right side of defence, and Saints have a number of wide options to call upon.
Trevoh Chalobah has already played in both matches against Ralph Hasenhüttl's side this term, and has bailed Chelsea out when players have been struggling for fitness or form over the course of this season. He may not yet have reached the heights of some of Tuchel's other defenders but refuses to be cowed by the occasion or reputation and might help insert the energy required into the starting XI. As much as formations and tactics are important, Tuchel requires competitors and Chalobah will be up for the battle.
Mateo Kovacic to prove his value: The Croatian is likely Chelsea's freshest central midfielder having not started either of the previous two matches, and some might even say the brightest this season. Kovacic helped shore up Tuchel's midfield in the second half against Real, but with a 3-1 scoreline in the 46th minute, it's difficult to know how much that impacted the momentum of the match.
Nevertheless, he will help add some much needed penetration and hopefully help the Blues produce clear-cut chances as well as dictate play. Perhaps N'Golo Kante is the man to rest, given his greater contribution for France after Jorginho returned from international duty early and was afforded a start from the bench against Brentford.
