Trevoh Chalobah believes the enforced winter break for the World Cup has enabled many of Chelsea's players to "recharge and regroup" ahead of what will be an important second half of the season for Graham Potter and his players.
The 2022/23 campaign has been a tumultuous one for Chelsea thus far. Popular head coach Thomas Tuchel parted ways with the club at the start of September and was replaced by Graham Potter. The Blues started well under the Englishman but a 4-1 humbling at Brighton and Hove Albion was followed by defeats to Arsenal and Newcastle United in the Premier League.
There was also a third-round exit in the Carabao Cup at the hands of Manchester City – and that resulted in Chelsea going into the five-week break with the mood around the club at its lowest ebb for several months.
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It is not until December 27, when Bournemouth visit Stamford Bridge, that Chelsea restart their Premier League campaign. Eighth in the table after 14 matches, there is much work to be done if Potter's side are to secure a place in the top four and Champions League football for next season.
While a number of Chelsea players were selected to represent their respective countries at the World Cup, several key figures within the Blues squad, including Chalobah, were not called up. And that ensured they were well-rested prior to returning to Cobham for training last week.
The mini pre-season stepped up on Monday as Chelsea landed in Abu Dhabi for a week-long warm-weather training camp that is rounded off with a friendly against Premier League rivals Aston Villa.
“It’s the longest winter break of the Premier League that I have experienced and it certainly has given us the time to recharge and regroup for the second half of the season,” Chalobah told The National.
"We came on the back of a very hard period and the break provides us with the opportunity to get ready physically and mentally. We had a lot of games and spent a lot of minutes, and we now freshen up and get ready to go again.”
He added: “We are focusing on ourselves rather than where we are at the moment [in the Premier League table]. That’s the main thing. We want to be up there. We know what we need to do and that’s what we are going to work out during this camp.”
Chelsea squad that travelled
Goalkeepers: Kepa, Bettinelli, Beach
Defenders: James, Chalobah, Fofana, Chilwell, Cucurella, Rankine, Brooking, Gilchrist, Humphreys
Midfielders: Jorginho, Kante, Loftus-Cheek, Chukwuemeka, Hall, Casadei, Webster, Elliott
Forwards: Aubameyang, Broja, Hutchinson, Mothersille, Burstow
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