Chelsea FC trip Eden Hazard, John Terry, and Willian are being rested for the match against Sporting Lisbon because according to Jose Mourinho they “play all the time”. Mourinho continued to say that he wishes he could give his whole squad a holiday and some time off but of course that is not possible.
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What is possible of course is to give some of his most worked players some time off because of the meaningless nature of this fixture against Sporting Lisbon. The Blues already have the top spot in the group tied up and this match is far more important to Schalke 04 who can still qualify if Sporting Lisbon lose. Chelsea FC can still field a rotated squad with some youngsters on the pitch and still defeat a feisty Sporting CP team.
Jose Mourinho on some of Chelsea FC’s stars getting “holidays”:
"“Terry, Willian and Hazard are on holidays. I would like to give the whole squad the time off but these three play all the time and I have good solutions for these positions. We have so many matches to play in December and we are one of the few teams in the Premier League that also plays the Capital One Cup in this moment.“[Of] the other teams involved in the Champions League only Liverpool is also in the Capital One Cup. Everybody has periods to rest we don’t have. This game gives me the chance to rest these three players. We had already the fifth yellow card to Diego [Costa], the fifth yellow card to Matic and now the fifth yellow card to Fabregas, which give them a rest. Step by step, match after match we are trying to find a little period for them to breath and to face this second part of the December month.”Source: ESPNFC.com"
The luxury of giving big time players like Eden Hazard, John Terry, and Willian a rest during a midweek fixture is something the Blues have worked for for months. They went undefeated in their group precisely for this reason and now some of the fringe players in the squad can prove their worth.
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Players like Mohamed Salah, Andre Schurrle, and Nathan Ake can take this chance to prove to Jose Mourinho that they can contribute to the Blues’ cause. Their opportunities will become even fewer and further in between so this match against Sporting Lisbon should not be overlooked by these players. Mourinho has not done much squad rotation this season but if he does then they have to make the case to be the first ones off the bench to make an impact.
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