Most of the Chelsea squad have travelled away for the international break. Antonio Conte can use the time to restore the confidence of those left behind.
A smart manager will not look at the international break as a hindrance. They will look at it as an opportunity. Antonio Conte will want to use the break to rebuild confidence in a battered squad.
Luckily for Chelsea, most of the players left behind are the ones that need the boost. Gary Cahill, Pedro and Danny Drinkwater have all struggled for minutes as of late. Cesc Fabregas has been playing plenty but has struggled at times. Emerson Palmieri needs to adapt to the system more. David Luiz and Ross Barkley need to recover from injury and find a spot. And Tiemoue Bakayoko and Alvaro Morata simply need confidence built up.
All of these players are left behind for various reasons but they all need a boost in different ways. And with all the star players gone, the ones left behind can build up some steam.
Bakayoko and Morata need this more than anyone. Both are good players who are so low on themselves at the moment that they appear to be terrible. They are not. They will suddenly find training much easier with the stars gone. Playing against backups and youth may not be ideal, but if it makes Bakayoko and Morata feel capable then it is a plus.
Palmieri can use the time to make a mark. Marcos Alonso was finally called up by Spain and now Palmieri can step out from his shadow. He is a quality player that can benefit from Alonso being gone to showcase his worth.
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Then there are all the players that are used to being called up but were left behind. Cahill, Pedro, Fabregas and Drinkwater have all been replaced in their national teams either due to a lack of quality or playing time. These players will be the hardest to motivate during the break. Conte must get them on board with training because they will need to be the leaders while everyone is away.
Finally, there is Luiz and Barkley. If the two can recover during the break, they will have plenty of time to work their way back into training. Luiz has been out for sometime and will be eager to prove himself. Barkley never really got going before becoming injured again. If he can prove himself, he may see minutes come of it.
Not to mention the boost it will give the youth left behind. Chelsea are blessed with an excellent academy where most players are called up to a national team side (youth or otherwise). But for the ones left behind, they will get valuable training time with the main squad. If that turns into further training with the first team squad it will be a success.
Finally, the players that were called up can benefit as well. For instance, Eden Hazard has been in woeful form under high pressure in recent weeks. With Belgium playing Saudi Arabia, he can play in a low pressure environment and hopefully find himself once more.
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That is a lot for Conte to juggle over the break. But a lot can be gained while most are away. He will need the squad firing on all cylinders when they are all together again. He can start that ball rolling by boosting the confidence of those left behind.