Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior could really use the international break to spend time working with his players, with their woeful form threatening to derail their campaign.
Rosenior’s side have won just two of their last eight games, and currently sit outside the top five places which are expected to guarantee Champions League qualification.
Ten Chelsea players will now jet away to represent their countries, including Cole Palmer who has been struggling for form as he continues to recover from injury.
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Chelsea need to follow Arsenal example and withdraw players from international duty
The likes of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella will also be tasked with featuring in two games, despite the fact they are consistently playing 90 minutes every three or four games.
This is far from ideal for Chelsea, and is happening at the same time Arsenal are seeing a number of their players pull out of international duty.
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William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Leandro Trossard all started the League Cup final at the weekend, however are protecting their fitness for the rest of the club season by pulling out of representing their country.
This will allow them a full two-week break before the return of the FA Cup, no doubt handing them a boost to their fitness.
Chelsea should certainly have followed suit with this, especially given just how tired some of their stars look.
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Joao Pedro, Andrey Santos and Fernandez are set for long-haul journeys as well, something the Blues really don’t need ahead of a crucial few Premier League games.
Chelsea’s next two Premier League games are at Stamford Bridge against Manchester City and Manchester United. Defeat in both of those could see them out the race for the top five.
If this is the case, Chelsea are likely relying on Aston Villa to win the Europa League and allow the top six to qualify for the Champions League.
They are going to need their players in the best physical condition, and will be watching through their fingers as every Chelsea player represents their country over the next few days.
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