The international break came at a time when Chelsea probably would have preferred to have kept playing, despite the hectic schedule.
Frank Lampard’s side were in good form and had gathered up some good momentum before the break, and this is something that Lampard is keen to get back to tomorrow.
His side travel to Newcastle United in the next round of Premier League matches, and the squad will be feeling confident that they can bring all three points back home.
Don’t forget to subscribe to my new Podcast and Daily Newsletter service Si Phillips Talks Chelsea for all the latest news, exclusives, and inside Chelsea.
Chelsea took a while to find their rhythm at the start of the season, but they have really looked the part in recent matches, not just in attack, but they have really tightened up at the back as well which was much needed.
Lampard has been using his ‘time off’ for reflection and reviewing the season so far, and he is overall very content with how things are going.
Speaking to the Chelsea website, Lampard said:
“I have taken stock [this week].
“There were some points we lost earlier in the season that we were frustrated with but looking back I think maybe that was par for the course in terms of where we were as a team, with new players coming in and some injuries.
“The international break came at a time when we were playing well so I’m pretty happy with our current form but the important thing is we don’t get carried away. I’ve used the time for reflection and to review where we’re at. There are lots of improvements we can make so that’s our next focus.
“The group feels strong and that’s not easy with a big squad.
“It feels like we’re working in a good direction, with the understanding that we need everybody in the squad as we go through this season because it’s a long marathon that is as congested as it’s ever been.
“I’m happy with all the new signings because every player has come into the team and made an impact in their own way. The balance of the new players and the players that were here trying to improve our standards has been great.
“It’s definitely more open [in the Premier League] than in recent years and we haven’t seen the gaps open up.
“This time last year, Liverpool had won all eight games and we were 10 points behind them but now the league looks a lot different for different reasons.
“I truly believe the lack of pre-season has been a big issue for some clubs and we’ve felt that here, particularly given that we carried on in Europe for extra weeks [at the end of last season]. There are issues of freshness, no pre-season and of course this ongoing factor of not having fans in the stadiums.
“There are lots of challenges for everybody to try to overcome but what we have to do is find the best way to navigate through them. We’re in a decent position at the moment but we want more.”
