Chelsea are firmly into the final stretch of the season as they look to secure Champions League football, third place in the Premier League and perhaps even an FA Cup win over Liverpool to add another trophy to the collection.
The Blues already sit three points ahead of Arsenal and five ahead of Tottenham, with their London rivals still needing to play each other. A win over Wolves this weekend will go a long way to securing the position of Thomas Tuchel's side, and help to banish thoughts of the Everton defeat.
Attention will quickly turn to next season and any summer activity, with the Blues already behind in their preparations due to the conditions of the licence they must operate under. With Todd Boehly's bid progressing, hopefully that will be resolved soon.
However, Tuchel can go forward and make some preparations on the pitch, providing Chelsea secure their position, and can also make look to get his strongest XI on the pitch against Liverpool. football.london takes a look at the players who could land themselves an opportunity before the season is out.
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Trevoh Chalobah
There's an argument to be made that the young defender should start all of Chelsea's remaining games, given the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen in the coming summer. Some may even argue that Chalobah has been part of the Blues' strongest back three this term alongside Rudiger and Thiago Silva.
If the Blues can put themselves in a position to only worry about next season, it's an obvious decision to give Chalobah as many minutes as possible and to make that a priority, with incoming replacements never a guarantee.
Ross Barkley
The former Everton star has had a difficult season, and despite glimmers of hope that he could make an impact in the squad with his performances against the likes of Southampton, Barkley only seems to have got further away from the first team.
Providing the Blues have their season objectives tied up, giving Barkley some playing time to hopefully send a reminder to potential suitors of his qualities might be a smart idea as he enters the final year of his contract this summer.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Tuchel has said on multiple occasions that he does not want the fact that Loftus-Cheek is simply playing to be seen as a success following the Cobham product's return from multiple injuries over the last few years. The German coach wants to see Loftus-Cheek be the 'monster' on the pitch, which he has shown glimpses off.
With N'Golo Kante and Jorginho's contracts expiring in 2023, it's not implausible that one could leave next summer, and more time on the pitch can only make the former Fulham loanee's presence more normal, to an extent where he is not content to simply play.
Loftus-Cheek has shown he is good enough to earn opportunities in recent weeks, but perhaps he could form an end of season project to inspire momentum into 2022/23. It will be an ideal opportunity to start to convince Tuchel he should be at the forefront of his plans for next term, with players like Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour set to return from loan.
Romelu Lukaku
Providing the Blues can secure their position ahead of the final games of the season, Tuchel may have a rare opportunity to experiment and try some new tactics to try and mould the Belgian into his side. Lukaku hasn't been the resounding success everyone hoped and there will be a big decision to make for both parties in the coming summer. If the 28-year-old has a future with the Blues, any pitch time that can help aid understanding, even in games without pressure, will be vital in his development and relationships with the players around him.
Charlie Webster and Dylan Williams
By no means should the development squad duo be featuring in every remaining game Chelsea have, but given their presence in first team training alongside the likes of Harvey Vale and Lewis Hall over the course of this term, they could be given an occasional cameo role. Where Vale, Hall and Jude Soonsup-Bell have earned minutes this season, the ever impressive Webster has yet to, despite making the bench. It could be a worthy reward for a talented player.
Williams has been at the club for just a short period, and solved the under-23s sides problems on the left of defence, in addition to participating in some first team training sessions. Sill just 18, but with experience of Championship football at Derby County, it would be fascinating to see if his standards could manage the pace of the Premier League.
The Blues have a number of left backs on their books in Marcos Alonso, Emerson Palmieri, Ben Chilwell and Ian Maatsen, in addition to Dujon Sterling, who has proved capable on the left flank during his loan at Blackpool. Williams' ability to step up will help inform how flexible Chelsea can be if bids are made for Alonso and Emerson this summer, with young contenders galore to aid Chilwell when he is fully fit once again.
