Graham Potter may well have a very different Chelsea team available to him by the time Premier League football is back in full swing in mid-January.
The Blues don't play again now until December 27 but that is their final fixture of the year and then attention on results may well be overshadowed by what happens in the transfer window. The post-World Cup impact on business is already unknown, but with Todd Boehly seemingly committed to the rebuild needed at SW6, Potter can probably expect some serious backing.
With this in mind, a turn of form may not be too far around the corner. Chelsea have now lost four of their last five, including all four domestic matches and three in the league, but that is without the context of being without three first-team defenders, a world-class midfielder and balancing squad issues that go deeper than the current malaise on the pitch.
