Chelsea await the return to Cobham of just two of their 12 World Cup stars. Mateo Kovacic and Hakim Ziyech are yet to train with the Blues after their campaign finally finished just seven days ago as they faced off in the tournament's third place play-off.
Graham Potter and his coaching staff have been fairly consistent in giving the group one week off before putting players back to work following their exploits in Qatar. Both Kovacic and Ziyech spent some time in their home nations to enjoy the well-deserved adulation of a home crowd.
The Chelsea head coach believes it is important to give the duo time before integrating them back into the squad. Potter has no plans for either to feature against Bournemouth.
He said: "Big demand for those two, important to give them time, they won't be available for the game as a consequence. Everybody else has been back, we've got a few days training with all of them, so, it is what it is. We have to deal with it and it's been good."
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However, the situation could leave some scratching their heads. Kovacic's teammate Ivan Perisic was back working at Tottenham on Friday morning and declared available to take on Brentford because he completed that session.
Both Croatia stars played in excess of 630 minutes across seven matches in Qatar as the third best team in the world went to penalties in consecutive matches against Japan and Brazil. Perisic even played 33 more minutes than the Chelsea ace.
However, Potter's side may yet be vindicated in their thinking. The impact of the World Cup on players' fitness over the course of the season remains an unknown quantity, and by managing the squad's return thus far, the coaching staff are confident they can now prepare normally for games over the Christmas period.
Furthermore, Kovacic's workload has been substantial for a player who has been carrying an injury since pre-season. The issue delayed the former Real Madrid ace's preparations in the summer and needed to be managed, despite his importance in the weeks building up to his journey to Qatar. The 28-year-old has even admitted to being 'exhausted' having played 29 matches already in 2022/23.
Even ahead of the World Cup, Kovacic was relied upon and used more than the club would have liked as an intense schedule and injuries saw him come off the bench in the first half against Manchester United and be relied upon in the Carabao Cup against Manchester City. An over-reliance on the midfield talisman even seemed to bring on a calf issue.
The Blues are short in midfield compared to what they would like with Jorginho set to be accompanied by Lewis Hall, Denis Zakaria or Conor Gallagher in the absence of Kovacic and Loftus-Cheek. The Croatian national has proved already this season that he is too important to take any risk with however, and given the fatigue that has forced him out of other matches, it is better to ensure he is ready to take on January's schedule.
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