Many Chelsea players have benefited from the lock down
By Ishan Shah
2. The rest of midfield can be fit, but some will miss out on chances
Kante’s midfield partner Mateo Kovacic also suffered an injury before the break, which was a big blow to Chelsea. Arguably Chelsea’s player of the season, and one of the League’s best midfielders, Kovacic was recently voted in the EA Sports FIFA Team of the Season (so far). Therefore, Chelsea will greatly benefit from having the dynamic midfielder fit again once football resumes.
Due to these injuries in midfield, 18 year old Billy Gilmour was trusted in the fixtures against Liverpool and Everton, where he produced back to back Man of the Match winning performances. He is one player who would have greatly benefitted from playing more games this season. Unfortunately, his development was halted due to the break.
Two other midfielders who would have benefitted from playing more games are Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Barkley would have looked to use the injuries to Kovacic and Kante to his advantage. Having hit a decent run of form before lockdown, Barkley looked to prove to Lampard and Chelsea fans that he deserves to have a spot in this team.
Probably the biggest disappointment for Chelsea fans this season is that they have not gotten to watch Loftus-Cheek play a single minute under Frank Lampard. Having recovered from a horrific ruptured Achilles and regained match fitness, it was only a matter of time before Chelsea fans would see him back on the pitch. However, Lampard stated that the break in football has caused him to lose any match fitness that he gained before it.