Chelsea will have had a full week of rest when they play their next game, which comes a week today against Everton.
Right now things couldn’t look gloomier, after two points fumbled against Sheffield United in one of this season’s most frustrating games.
But in terms of pure squad selection, things won’t have looked brighter all year than they will come that game.
Malo Gusto and Ben Chilwell missed out yesterday, but all indications are that they will be fit and rested fully to take on Everton. At centre back, both Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah are back in the rotation – not that it’s doing us much good. Levi Colwill should also be back by then. Pochettino would then only be missing long-term absentees Reece James and Wesley Fofana from his options.
In midfield, Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo and Conor Gallagher made it through a punishing number of minutes without injury, and all should be fresh for that game after a well-deserved break.
The front 3 is the same story – Nicolas Jackson, Cole Palmer, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Carney Chukwuemeka and Raheem Sterling will all be ready for selection, with Pochettino able to take his pick. Only Christopher Nkunku will be missing from the roster in attack.
So in terms of freshness and availability, there will be no excuses left. Pochettino can pick from a large number of players, all of whom will be nicely rested. There’s also a week for the group to work together on the training pitch on a formation and a game plan set up to beat the Toffees. If we don’t go out and impress in that match, we don’t know where we will go from there.
