The quick transition from the drama of Saturday's win over Leicester to a trip down the south coast to face Southampton begins the unique congestion of this strange season.
Thomas Tuchel will be boosted by a much-needed win at Stamford Bridge, albeit in highly stressful circumstances, which might prove the telling springboard for Chelsea to conjure more consistent displays after some rocky moments.
Raheem Sterling is crucially off the mark in the royal blue, whilst the return of Trevoh Chalobah reminded everyone of his exciting potential in a defence that looked chaotic at Elland Road. Given that Tuchel will want to see more productivity from his attack, the visit to Southampton will hopefully spark good memories from April's dazzling 6-0 win.
READ MORE: Every word Thomas Tuchel said on Southampton vs Chelsea, midfield concern, transfers, Koulibaly
Southampton have shown equal promise and frailties so far, a pretty good summary of the majority of teams in the Premier League season. Ralph Hasenhüttl has experimented with different formations whilst also looking to integrate some promising new talent like Joe Aribo and Romeo Lavia, who offer a different dimension.
Chelsea's formation altered to a 4-4-2 before Conor Gallagher's second yellow, and Tuchel teased the potential of its continued use in the pre-match press conference. With that intrigue, here are The Burning Questions before Southampton vs Chelsea!
Reece James call
Tuchel saw the benefit of allowing Reece James to fly down the wing, creating the winning goal for Raheem Sterling to round off a sublime passing move. The German was asked about the impact of Cesar Azpilicueta from the bench and the challenge of not playing him.
"At the moment, it is one of the toughest decisions because he trains so well and is in such good shape and status mentally. He is pushing everybody and is fully committed – it's what you want on the field.
"But if we play 4-4-2, it's between him or Reece James. It's a luxury problem we have, but when we changed to a back five [against Leicester], we had the chance to have both of them on the pitch. Without tough decisions, we will get nowhere." Azpilicueta's ruggedness fit perfectly into a half when Chelsea needed to dig in, but for a game where the Blues need to be progressive, James will keep his place, and the performance of Chalobah cannot be forgotten.
Midfield wildcard debut?
With N'Golo Kante injured, Gallagher suspended, and Mateo Kovacic still returning from injury, the midfield selection remains uncertain.
"It is, and it's normally the area I would love to have a headache about who plays and who is on the bench. This is normally the area where I thought we would have five players that could all play for us and have Carney [Chukwuemeka] on top as an option as a young player." Tuchel said.
Chukwuemeka, who was bought from Aston Villa for £20m earlier this month, has been an unused substitute so far but could offer a different solution this season in moments, given the injury issues Tuchel has regularly struggled with in midfield.
Although the 18-year-old is unlikely to start games regularly, the five sub-rule offer more opportunities for minutes across the season. Could Tuesday be the night of Carney's debut?
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