Chelsea has had a rough time as of late. But with the league effectively going into a second winter break, the Blues can heal up for the end of the season.
Given how hard the Premier League fought against delaying games until there were multiple confirmed cases of Coronavirus, it is probably safe to say that the Football Association and the League will look for a way to finish out the remaining nine (or ten for some teams) games remaining. It is not as though the league ever worried about when other competitions would be playing before anyways.
As of right now, this is effectively a second winter break. The goals of this break are mostly the same as the last one: get physically and mentally right, plan for the future, and finish the season strong. Some of those are less important now than they were then, but the physical one is very needed at this point.
According to the ever excellent PhysioRoom, Chelsea currently has eight injuries and one suspension. The suspension, Jorginho’s, is something that only actual games will heal. The rest can benefit from this break.
Mason Mount and Christian Pulisic were both due back before this break was set to end. Mount’s was a knock that has not caused him to miss any games, so that one is less noticeable. Pulisic has been out for months now so having him back would be a big boost to the Blues.
Tammy Abraham and N’Golo Kante are both due back about as this new break is set to end. It may be a touch too early to throw them right back into action, especially if Chelsea stops training, but to have both back for the close of the season would be a fantastic asset.
Then there are the rest who have more unknown return dates. Callum Hudson-Odoi has already gotten and recovered from the Coronavirus, but it is hard to tell how long he will remain quarantined and how long it will take him to return to match fitness from the illness. Mateo Kovacic can use the time to heal up, but the Blues may be so fearful of aggravating Achilles injuries after the last year that they may take their time with him.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Marco van Ginkel are merely cases of wait and see. Both have been out for so long that it really is still unclear as to when they will be back. Loftus-Cheek has at least been training so this break may give him enough time to return to full fitness. Van Ginkel, if he has a role at all, may now have enough time to cross the finish line.
Of course, Chelsea’s rivals will also benefit from this time to heal up. Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur especially have several key players that could be returning. So long as the Blues keep their momentum going into this break coming out of it, the reinforcements from the injury reserves may be enough to pull Chelsea over the line when (if?) the season resumes to conclude.