Four Chelsea players who will love training under social distancing rules

Chelsea may have to come back to training with coronavirus-induced restrictions and modifications in place. Which players would be most affected by them, for better or worse?

Dumber things have happened – the last two months are testament to that – so let’s not rule out the prospect of Premier League clubs having even more restrictions when they return to training than what German clubs currently have. Chelsea players are more resilient and creative under Frank Lampard than they were under Maurizio Sarri (low bar), so perhaps they will get through this next layer of madness and maybe even come out the better for it.

Here are few Blues who might enjoy the new abnormal.

1. Jorginho

Social distancing protocols for Bundesliga clubs preclude players from any sort of close contact work. This means that they not only are not tackling, practicing set pieces or playing small sided games – they are limiting their passing drills to non-contagious distances.

Borussia Dortmund head coach Lucien Favre told the Wall Street Journal “They stay 10-15 yards away from each other, passing the ball, moving, and we go all the way to the goal like that.”

This will either break Jorginho or make him the player his devotees always thought he was. The coronavirus restrictions are the opposite of Sarriball. Jorginho will have to make medium- to long-range passes – repeatedly, routinely and with variations – or he will fall out of the lineup once and for all. If he gets frustrated and runs towards a teammate just to deliver a trademark five-yard pass, he will find himself in quarantine for no less than 28 days (standard protocols say 14 days, but we have to add on his lingering yellow card suspensions). That will be more than enough time for Billy Gilmour to cement his place, assuming it’s not his already.

2. Andreas Christensen

No set pieces and no aerial duels means Andreas Christensen cannot have a momentary lapse of attention nor pick up a new injury from incidental contact with the wind or ground.

With the players staying well apart from each other, the pitch will be wide and each area of the pitch will be unchallenged. This is perfect for Christensen, who is a master at shaping and controlling space but is fragile against physical contact. Perhaps taking a few shadow set pieces, where he is the only actual human in the box as the kick comes in, will be the start of a progression to get him back to where he can defend and clear the box without blinking too hard and conceding a free header.

On the other hand, if anyone could get hurt while social distancing, it’s Christensen. Some of those training ground mannequins have quite a temper.

3. Marcos Alonso and Emerson

Marcos Alonso is even better than Andreas Christensen at using impeccable positioning to defend. But like Christensen, Alonso’s physical attributes limit his defending. Whereas in Christensen’s case it’s size and strength, for Alonso it’s speed.

Well, if everyone must stay in their predefined areas, no one can accelerate past you!

Alonso will take mastery of the 15m x 15m box that will be the half-space of half-steps, where only he and the ball are ever allowed. He will control the space, make perfect crosses to the unmarked striker and link play between the centreback in his designated zone and the winger in his.

Emerson will be in a similar position. Frank Lampard can grant Emerson the entire length of the touchline and just let him run back and forth. He’ll get from one end of the pitch to the other as fast as anyone, but since no one can challenge him head on, no one will skin him with a simple step-over.

If social distancing rules stay in effect for the season, Chelsea can save a lot of money because they won’t need to buy a left-back!