Chelsea’s training centre will be a bit empty this week as many Blues report to their national team’s duties. The international break interrupts the Blues’ momentum and creates needless risk when most players would simply want to see out the season.
Despite being on the schedule since the beginning of the season, the international break could hardly come at a worse time for Chelsea. Many of Chelsea’s starters will be training, travelling and playing this week. Meanwhile, Antonio Conte stays behind and plots the final run-in to the Premier League title and FA Cup.
The biggest risks are distraction and injury. International break draws players out of their usual training regimen and rhythm and places them under a different system. Away from the regular reminders of the Premier League, players risk returning without the required level of focus.
Antonio Conte will probably be much stricter with vacation policies than he was during earlier openings in the schedule. With the internationals jetting around the world with their countries, he may not look kindly on “personal” travel.
"Don’t go on holiday now, just wait until the end of the season. Get it all done, get the last 10 matches out of the way and then you can go on holiday. There isn’t even enough time with all the fixtures in April, although Thibaut Courtois will find a way to go to a basketball game in America. – Daniel Mcclue, The Blue Lions"
The additional matches carry a two-fold injury risk. Players can get injured in an unimportant international game that costs their availability to their club. Additionally, the increased demands and fatigue without full recovery predisposes them to injury upon their return. If a player is injured in the first or second game back, it could be equally due to his international duties as well as the proximate cause.
"They all need to take a leaf out of Cesar Azpilicueta’s book and remember that they have training and need to work really hard. Crystal Palace will be difficult, and Everton and City. With Romelu Lukaku on form we need our defensive players on point. That’s going to come with putting that extra work in. They need to stay focused with 10 games left in the league. – Rayna Sidhu, The Blue Lions"
The Blues play at least six games in April. That could increase as the league still needs to reschedule home fixtures against Watford and Southampton. As it stands, Chelsea will play three of the top six teams within two-and-a-half weeks. They end the month against a resurgent Everton. Romelu Lukaku may use the occasion as an audition with a side of negotiation leverage to show how much he is worth.
International breaks are rarely welcome, particularly among top clubs with rosters full of internationals. Teams looking to pull out of a slide or gird for a relegation scrap may welcome the added recovery and training time. Chelsea, though, would likely prefer to just see the season out.
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Whether they are staying behind or heading out, the entire squad must keep their sights on what lay ahead. With so much to fight for, the players must take their cues from Antonio Conte and maintain absolute focus, passion and professionalism on the task at hand.