Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca would have been experiencing mixed feelings when witnessing his players travel far and wide for the October international break.
The Blues' dramatic 2-1 victory over Liverpool in their final game before a two-week interval brought back the feel-good factor at Stamford Bridge, Maresca having little regret over a red card for his celebrations.
However, while the international schedule prevented Chelsea from building momentum, it allowed some squad members to enjoy a long-overdue rest and others to find some form with their respective nations.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at the many positives and minimal negatives for Chelsea that have materialised over the past week ahead of Saturday's Premier League fixture at Nottingham Forest.
Well-deserved rests for key players
Maresca would have had concerns about many of his key players travelling and playing two more matches during World Cup qualifying fixtures.
Instead, Reece James missed out on England duty with a minor injury and the likes of Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro were rested by Ecuador and Brazil respectively.
Chelsea's Enzo Fernandez pictured in August 2025
Enzo Fernandez also missed Argentina's second fixture with Puerto Rico, albeit with a fitness issue that is seemingly being managed rather than being anything more sinister.
Andrey Santos was absent from the Brazil squad through injury, but the midfielder is another player who can only benefit from a break in action at this stage of the season.
On Tuesday night, Marc Cucurella remained as an unused substitute as Spain beat Bulgaria. Considering that he made six appearances at the Club World Cup and has already racked up 13 outings for club and country since the middle of August, it represents a welcome night off.
Estevao maintains momentum
Given the amount of game time that he has already racked up during his career, Maresca would have likely been in favour of Estevao remaining in England rather than travelling to Asia with Brazil.
Nevertheless, the 18-year-old netted twice in a 5-0 win over South Korea before being restricted to 15 minutes in the 3-2 defeat to Japan.
Estevao celebrating a goal with Brazil, pictured in September 2025
Reports have indicated that the winger has been suffering with flu, yet Maresca may be encouraged that he was still able to feature in the second of the recent double-header.
England Under-21 trio enhance reputations
At a time when Estevao has been flourishing for club and country, the likes of Jamie Gittens and Tyrique George have either failed to perform or been used as a stop-gap in an unfamiliar position.
Gittens has failed to contributed a goal or assist in 259 minutes of football since arriving from Borussia Dortmund for over £50m, while George's solitary contribution is a thunderous long-range effort against Lincoln City in the EFL Cup before not making the squad for the Liverpool game.
However, the pair can be delighted with their time away with England Under-21s, Gittens scoring against Moldova and George netting the only goal of the game with Andorra.
Chelsea winger Tyrique George in February 2025.
Chelsea fans were left most encouraged by Gittens' direct wing-play in those games, providing hope that he can eventually find the end product for his club after generally being wasteful since the middle of August.
Josh Acheampong also received 78 minutes of action against Moldova before being rested versus Andorra. Given that the 19-year-old had gone off injured versus Liverpool, it was the perfect scenario for the starlet who should now feel refreshed.
Injury concerns
Returning to the issue with Fernandez, it has been alleged that swelling to his knee was the reason for his early return from international duty.
As it stands, there is every indication that Fernandez is not due for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, instead just being given a well-deserved rest.
Prior to starting each of Chelsea's fixtures in 2025-26, Fernandez also made six starts and one substitute outing in the Club World Cup, so he was overdue a brief break from action.
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