By the time Chelsea and Everton kick off on Saturday evening, 216 days – seven months/30 weeks – will have passed since N'Golo Kante picked up a hamstring injury in the Blues' 2-2 draw with Tottenham in August.
So much has changed since then. Chelsea have signed 11 new players, replaced Thomas Tuchel with Graham Potter and a major reshuffle of the club's board and backroom staff has taken place. Since the last time Kante kicked a ball in a Chelsea shirt, the club has completely changed.
In the seven months the France international has been sidelined, the Blues have definitely suffered without the energetic midfielder. Their problems haven't solely been down to his absence, but losing a player as integral to the squad for such a lengthy period of time would be detrimental to any team.
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Kante has not even had the opportunity to play under Potter, with his appointment just under a month after the former Leicester City man came off injured against Spurs. In the last couple of weeks, though, the Chelsea head coach will hopefully have seen how significant Kante could be to his plans in the future.
Potter said last week that while Kante was not fit to take any part against his former club Leicester on Saturday, he could be in line for a return to competitive action this weekend against Everton. Whether or not this is from the start remains to be seen, but it seems unlikely at this point just because of how long the Frenchman has been sidelined. So, with this being said, football.london takes a look at three ways Potter could setup his midfield on Saturday evening.
Kovacic + Fernandez pivot
Chelsea have won their last three matches in all competitions and finally look to have some momentum under Potter. Is it any coincidence a double pivot of Mateo Kovacic and Enzo Fernandez has been used in all three of those games?
In the Blues' most recent outing against Leicester at the King Power Stadium, both of Chelsea's midfielders were in fabulous form. Fernandez played one of the best assists you're likely to see this season to Kai Havertz, with a perfectly weighted chip to find his teammate who volleyed past Danny Ward.
Fernandez has been superb since making the British record transfer to Chelsea on deadline day in January. The Argentine World Cup winner has settled in really well at Stamford Bridge and is virtually undroppable at the moment because of the form he has shown.
Meanwhile, Kovacic scored Chelsea's third and final goal of the game. After a fine headed lay-off from Mykhailo Mudryk, the Croatia international volleyed the ball emphatically past Ward – proving once again he is only bothered about scoring aesthetically pleasing goals.
This, at the time of writing, looks to be the most likely midfield setup from Potter against Everton. The Chelsea boss will be so cautious with how he integrates Kante back into the XI that it could be some time before we see the France midfielder back in the starting line-up.
Kante + Fernandez pivot
However, Potter could surprise us all and throw Kante straight into the side. If he does, despite Kovacic's fine performance and goal versus Leicester, it looks likely it would be alongside Fernandez.
It's a midfield duo Chelsea supporters have been crying out for ever since the club signed Fernandez almost two months ago. It's one we would love to see more in the future should Kante sign a contract extension at Stamford Bridge, as now expected, before his deal expires at the end of the season.
The Blues' upturn in form has coincided with their return to playing a back-three formation, with two central midfielders and wing-backs either side of them, with three attacking players and three defenders. It has got the best out of Chelsea's forwards, particularly Havertz, who has scored in the past two matches, so Potter is expected to once again keep the same formation against Everton, but there could be a change with the head coach proving his unpredictability tactically since being appointed six months ago.
Wildcard: Midfield trio
This is indeed a bit of a wildcard: a midfield trio, perhaps a return to a 4-3-3? I, for one, do not expect this to happen because of Chelsea's recent revival with a three-at-the-back formation, but it's certainly an option that could throw Sean Dyche and Everton off.
It's also a way to get Chelsea's three strongest central midfielders – Kante, Kovacic and Fernandez – all on the pitch at the same time. Potter changed to three in midfield at half-time in the Blues' win at Leicester at the weekend, with Conor Gallagher replacing Joao Felix. However, that was more to do with game management, with the Foxes winning the midfield battle in the first half.
Having Fernandez in the No.6 role, with Kante and Kovacic either side of him would definitely be one way to go. There's also a shout for Mason Mount, who could return at the weekend, as well as Gallagher who impressed when coming on at the King Power.
We're set to hear more on a possible return for Kante on Friday afternoon as Potter faces the media ahead of the trip of Everton. His press conference will have a variety of questions put to him, but Kante is likely to be right at the top of the agenda.
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