The final international break of the season is upon us and it's safe to say that Chelsea have been on a pretty good run since the last once. The Blues have won every game they've played outside of the Carabao Cup final since Thomas Tuchel's stars last departed to Cobham to their international teams or for a period of relaxation.
While it would usually be a shame to slow the momentum Chelsea have built over the last six weeks, Thomas Tuchel is pleased for the rest. He said: "I want for the players who have the chance, that they recharge and disconnect from football because they deserve this. It is very important that they take this possibility to come in with a fresh mindset for the last eight weeks of the season.
"For the guys with international duties, I hope they have the success they want and come back not injured. Jorginho has an important match, so does Edou, and I surely forget some other guys who play qualifiers for the World Cup. So there is no break at all for them which is a bit concerning, but it's the way it is."
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The Blues won't have control of a number of their stars who are away on international duty, particularly with lengthy trips for Thiago Silva and Christian Pulisic. The latter has three fixtures for the USA, with the final one against Costa Rica in the early hours of the Thursday morning before the Brentford game. football.london takes a look at Chelsea's to-do list.
Get away from it all
As made clear in Tuchel's words above, it's the ideal time for the Blues to recharge. It's been a tumultuous time at the club with Roman Abramovich announcing that he planned to sell up, followed by the Russian being placed on the UK's sanction list, has placed a lot of internal uncertainty and external pressure at the club.
Tuchel in particular has come under a great deal scrutiny as the most public facing member of the Chelsea set-up, meaning he has had to prepare for sensitive questions, as well as to win football matches. The German is a contender for the club's greatest asset given the impact he has had over the last 12 months or so, and hopefully a brief break can rejuvenate him ready for the business end of the season. The 48-year-old is planning for some family normality.
"Doing the normal stuff, taking care of the children and taking them to school and picking them up. Being around them is the best distraction I can have. I learned to do this, I had to. I found it very hard in the beginning as a professional coach, I struggled a lot with it actually," Tuchel said of what he will do with his time off.
"To not be able to switch off, think about it night and day. Everybody needs to disconnect, breathe and see clearer. I had to learn it for myself and I am still training myself. I need to be disciplined in it and like I said my dogs and kids help as a natural source of inspiration and enjoyment to calm down. You have to take care of yourself to not get totally lost in it."
Take advantage of time at Cobham
It's rare in Chelsea's schedule that players are afforded as much time at Cobham, without being entirely focused on a match that is due to arrive in the next 48 hours. After a restful first week, the second week of an international breaks allows for a squad of reduced numbers to work together.
Trevoh Chalobah benefited from such a situation during pre-season while much of the squad was at Euro 2020, and while this will bring a more limited offering, it's crucial given the Blues will play two games per week for the foreseeable future. Hakim Ziyech is another who flourished during that period, and given the Moroccan's isolation from international football, has already spent plenty of time at Cobham with the group in reduced numbers.
Callum Hudson-Odoi, though injured on this occasion, has turned down calls from England's under-21s to prove himself to Tuchel. His presence in the starting XI increased as the season went on, in his more favoured position, until his Achilles issues of late.
Romelu Lukaku is perhaps the figure that needs to take advantage of this time more than anyone else. The Belgian has been left out of Roberto Martinez's squad alongside Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard as the former Wigan boss seeks to use some less experienced stars.
Given Lukaku arrived after pre-season, it will provide time for Tuchel to pay closer attention to Chelsea's record signing, and for them to develop their relationship too. Kai Havertz has the starting role at the moment, but this could be a crucial time in making sure Lukaku is ready for his opportunity when it arrives.
Get Reece James fit
It appears Petr Cech's conversation paid off, as England announced that Reece James had been released from international duty following Chelsea's request. The wing-back is recovering from muscular issues he suffered in his comeback from the hamstring the ruled him out of early 2022, with one week more of rehabilitation required, according to Thomas Tuchel.
The German coach said after the Blues' win over Middlesbrough: "He is still in individual training, he needs one more week of rehabilitation. I think we can provide this much better – it is not the job of the national team to do this."
The Chelsea staff need to take advantage of this week to ensure James can join in with the first team in time for Brentford preparations. In his brief return James showed the massive impact he can have for the Blues and with the likes of Real Madrid, an FA Cup semi-final and crucial Premier League fixtures on the way, it will be imperative for the 22-year-old to be at Tuchel's disposal. It's a vital time to just focus on getting fit.
Complete a takeover?
Of course, this is out of the hands of Tuchel and the club, with Raine Group working through the proposals made to purchase the club from Roman Abramovich. However, some interested parties, including Todd Boehly, have claimed that they could complete the deal in time for Chelsea's next home game, against Brentford, on April 2.
If one of these deals proves to be the right one, and can be done in time it should be able to relieve the financial pressures currently on the club, and allow the Blues to operate normally rather than under the licence currently preventing fans from attending matches.
The key thing is to find a deal that will most benefit the club, with bids being whittled down this week. Once Raine will make a decision around the preferred bid, and then will go to the government with an application to have the terms of the club's special operating licence amended to allow a sale to proceed.
