With Chelsea not having a game til 10 October, that gives manager Xabi Alonso 12 days to prepare those who haven't been called up to their national teams for their game against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues haven't started the season the greatest. After winning their opening two games against Fulham and Brighton, they're now winless in four Premier League matches. Their defence has been a concern since the start of the season, conceding 15 goals in all competitions, something Alonso should prioritise over this break. Let's take a look at three things Xabi Alonso should be expecting from this international break.
1. The return of key players
Many people have the misconception that Chelsea's squad is too big and has way too many players for the manager to juggle. Whilst some of that could be true, the squad depth of Chelsea has been to their aid so far this season, with the injuries of key players, and with the international break lasting three weeks, this gives those players time to fully recover and be fit for the Premier League.
Currently, Xabi Alonso is missing, Reece James, Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer, Moises Caicedo, and Jamie Gittens, just to name a few, with Palmer having to withdraw from Thomas Tuchel's England squad due to a niggle, and Gittens had to come off during England U21's game on Friday against Kazakhstan, being seen on crutches post-match, being replaced in the squad by Divine Mukasa.
For Joao Pedro and Reece James, they both missed the last game before the international break against Brentford, with James missing due to a hamstring injury, and Pedro's is down with a knee injury, but both are expected to return by October 10.
Caicedo has barely been seen this season, playing only 14 minutes after being troubled by a calf injury. Alonso admitted and apologised after the Brighton game for rushing the Ecuadorian back and having to take him off in the second half; the international break has come at a good time, with Alonso saying the midfielder should be in contention next month.
2. Forgotten players getting minutes
With Chelsea's somewhat decimated squad, players who haven't necessarily gotten much game time have the chance to stake a claim to get into Alonso's squad if they impress the Chelsea manager whilst on international duty.
People like Estevao and Geovany Quenda have been called up for international duty, with Estevao playing 76 minutes against Australia and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet. Quenda played 90 minutes in Portugal U21's 2-1 loss to Bulgaria.
Both have been down the pecking order since the arrival of Morgan Rogers in the summer, so they'll hope to come back to Chelsea with some momentum and kick-start their season. Both have only played 27 minutes and 23 Premier League minutes, respectively, this season, so they'll hope to force their way into Alonso's starting 11.
3. Keeping up the intensity
Through the first five Premier League games this season, Chelsea have scored seven goals and conceded five in the first half, whereas in the second 45 they goal split goes down to scoring three and conceding seven.
So what does that tell you? It's either Chelsea play with such intensity that they can't sustain it for the full 90, or when Xabi Alonso makes those substitutions to try and change the game, those coming off the bench can't keep the same level, and therefore the performance drops off, leading to fewer goals scored and more conceded.
Alonso has reportedly given those not selected for international duty time to recover and be ready for the Bournemouth game, with some opting to go abroad, such as Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer, with the Brazilian celebrating his 25th birthday on a yacht in Spain.
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