Thibaut Courtois has played down the supposed advantage Chelsea have enjoyed from not being involved in European football, but the Blues certainly have benefited.
Chelsea are cruising at the top of the Premier League, sitting nine points clear of Tottenham Hotspur. However, there have been justified comments about the relative lack of football they have played. Thibaut Courtois, though, is not accepting that as a reason for their superiority.
While the Blues have been playing one game per week for the majority of the season, teams like Manchester City and Arsenal have been laboured with midweek action. The Belgian doesn’t believe that less games have resulted in better results.
"Everybody wants to play in Europe and if you’re in the rhythm of playing a game every three or four days, sometimes you can play better, even though it’s harder at the end of the season. We have a lot of people on the bench who want to play and maybe haven’t had as many minutes as they deserve. If we had European football, they would have played more minutes. – via Mirror"
Courtois may have a point, but Chelsea’s lack of squad depth renders his statement invalid. Since switching to the 3-4-3, Antonio Conte has essentially played 14 players. The back three has remained largely intact, while Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso have nailed down the wingback spots.
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Midfield is where most of the rotation has happened. Pedro and Willian have swapped in and out alongside Eden Hazard on the opposing flank. Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas, meanwhile, have taken turns in the centre.
It is feasible that Chelsea would still be leading the Premier League if they had Champions League football as well. But that would strongly depend on the fitness of their starting XI. Having to rely on backup players, as Courtois suggests, would not end well.
This is why the summer is crucial for the Blues. They will not just be in the Champions League next season, but wholeheartedly pursuing the silverware. A run to the quarter-finals would add another 10 games to the campaign, while the travelling will take a toll.
Hence, being able to call upon squad players to slot into the starting XI seamlessly is vital. Furthermore, having competition for places will only raise everyone’s game, as long as Conte is happy to drop underperforming players.
While Courtois’ statement is not complete nonsense, it is invalid with regard to this Chelsea side. They have heavily benefited from playing relatively fewer games and this is reflected in their lead. With the Champions League set to restart again, the Blues can be quietly confident of widening the gap in the coming weeks.