Losing Mason Mount for any period is a massive blow. Even if the English midfielder has not hit the consistent heights of last season, his overall influence and energy in Chelsea's play are undeniable.
Being forced off within 30 minutes in the Club World Cup final was a worry, and the revelation that his ankle injury would rule him out for up to three weeks confirmed the worst. There is now a major race for him to make the Carabao Cup final in 11 days.
His absence will allow the rest of Chelsea's attack to impress Thomas Tuchel and potentially keep their place for the cup final.
Tuchel had all four of Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Timo Werner in extra-time of the Club World Cup final.
That's quite a rarity given Tuchel's regular use of the 3-4-2-1 and the reliance on Romelu Lukaku in the side since his return last summer.
But the first three – Ziyech, Havertz and Pulisic all showed bright moments against Palmeiras and could all see themselves in serious contention to feature away to Crystal Palace this weekend.
Ziyech has been in some of the best form of his Chelsea career over the past month. Demonstrating the flair and influence the club hoped to see more regularly when they signed him from Ajax in 2020.
Havertz netted the winning penalty against Palmeiras that added another monumental goal to his CV despite failing to hit the consistent heights expected when the Blues splashed £71m on the German sensation from Bayer Leverkusen.
Pulisic has greatly suffered from injury setbacks during his three years in west London but was trialled in a new position by Tuchel after replacing the injured Mount in Abu Dhabi.
The experiment showed promise with the American linking well with Romelu Lukaku and getting into good shooting positions, with Havertz fielded alongside the Belgian in a split striker system.
How Tuchel approaches the return to the Premier League in terms of formation is a mystery given his consistent switches from a 3-4-2-1 to some variation of a four-man defence: (4-2-2-2, 4-3-3, 4-1-4-1).
A four-man defence greatly helps Chelsea's attacking personnel as it offers an extra spot to claim behind Lukaku, who is expected to retain his place against Palace after two goals in his last two appearances.
Since his breakthrough under Frank Lampard in 2019, Mount has remained the consistent performer in an inconsistent attack that has flattered to deceive. The intangibles Mount brings to Chelsea are hard to replicate, but it is the responsibility of those who take up his potential minutes to prove Tuchel's system can remain productive without him.
All three of Havertz, Ziyech and Pulisic must use the upcoming games to turn smaller moments of promise into longer-lasting signs of improvement.
Crystal Palace presents a starting point as Chelsea return to Premier League action.
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