The World Cup break break has come at a good time for both Chelsea and Graham Potter. Injuries have mounted in recent weeks, and the Blues' form in the Premier League has suffered as a result.
Now without a win in five, the Blues sit eighth in the table, eight points behind fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur and 16 behind league leaders Arsenal.
Prior to Chelsea's defeat to Newcastle at the weekend, Potter admitted that the Blues will need to pick themselves up and recover over the break. "I ended up here pretty quickly and have been in the washing machine in terms of the games and the turnaround. You have to deal with all that is going on and the number of matches you play.
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"You do need time to reflect – and there is that time because of the World cup break. It would be stupid of me not to do that; to rejuvenate, to recover, to reflect, to improve."
The 13 senior players not going to Qatar are now enjoying a couple of weeks off before returning to training, starting with a warm-weather training camp in Abu Dhabi next month.
Several of Chelsea's injured stars will be fit again before the Premier League returns. The likes of Kepa Arrizabalaga (foot), Reece James (knee) and Wesley Fofana (knee), and Carney Chukwuemeka (hamstring) are expected to have returned from injury before the Premier League restarts. Ben Chilwell should have also progressed in his recovery from a hamstring injury, but no comeback date has yet to be set. N'Golo Kante (hamstring) isn't expected back until February.
Meanwhile, two youngsters in particular will have the chance to impress Potter. Lewis Hall - who starred in the Blues' 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Carabao Cup last week before starting against Newcastle on Saturday - and Omari Hutchinson have been part of the Englishman's thinking.
They're almost certainly going to be involved in training in Abu Dhabi, which means they'll have a few weeks to show exactly why they're both so highly rated. Whether that leads to regular senior playing time in the near future remains to be seen, but it's a great opportunity for the duo.
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