Chelsea will need last season’s squad more than ever this winter

As Chelsea gets into the trenches of the winter slog, they will need to rely on the experience of the squad last year to survive.

No team, manager, or individual should be rated based on one single season. For the most part, that is about one season potentially being an outlier but perhaps a more important reason is that repeating experiences shows experience. There is a certain amount of institutional knowledge from having done something before that cannot really be taught, only learned through doing. Therefore, last season’s team, imperfect as it may be, will be vital in Chelsea surviving the winter.

When Chelsea signed all of the players they did over the summer, there was a sense that it would come at the expense of many from the previous season. While that has not been totally true, it has added a different element to the side. Now, however, that element will be dulled the deeper Chelsea gets into winter.

The Premier League remains virtually alone in playing throughout the holiday season. Yes there is the “winter break” that takes place in February, but nearly every other league does it for at least the last week of December and first week of January. That becomes important because five of the six first team signings came from leagues with winter breaks.

Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech, Edouard Mendy, and Thiago Silva are all used to preparing for their last match of the calendar year at this point in the season. Two or more weeks off to rest and recover are their norm. Not so this season. Just as their bodies will be getting ready to rest, they’ll have to keep going. Experienced as some of these players may or may not be, it will be a new toll on their bodies.

The squad from last season doesn’t share that. The alternative to many of these players were around last season and they understand the toll of a winter season. They may not have the quality of their newer counterparts, but it is hard to overcome experience.

The likes of Christian Pulisic, Mateo Kovacic, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Antonio Rudiger, and maybe even Kepa Arrizabalaga will be needed as the fixtures continue without end. Not every game mind, but over the next month and a half it would be wise to rotate more in the Premier League. It is never ideal to be out of a cup, but no League Cup does help matters this year. An easier FA Cup schedule, at least in January, will do the same.

Ideally, Frank Lampard will understand this after his first Premier League winter and an even crazier Championship winter. There is a limit to how far the body can go, but some are more prepared for that than others.

The full squad will be needed to get out of winter in a good place. West Ham is a good team compared to Arsenal this season, but it is hard to overlook that Arsenal should be top six in a normal year. In one of those two, Lampard will have to rotate and trust players from last season. It is the only way to get out of the winter in one piece.