There are still plenty of Chelsea players available to work at Cobham with Mauricio Pochettino and his staff during the November international break, even though a number of them are away representing their countries. Our head coach revealed that this could be a crucial time for several players to get back to full fitness.

The international break gives Mauricio Pochettino a chance to regroup and catch his breath after the intensity of two intense and dramatic games in the span of seven days—a 4-1 victory at Tottenham and Sunday’s 4-4 draw with Manchester City at Stamford Bridge—while getting ready for another hectic stretch leading up to Christmas.

Benoit Badiashile, Marcus Bettinelli, Armando Broja, Marc Cucurella, Reece James, Robert Sanchez, Raheem Sterling, Thiago Silva, and Deivid Washington are all still at Cobham for training as Chelsea prepares for their next Premier League match on Saturday, November 25, against Newcastle United. This leaves Pochettino with a formidable group to work with during the international break.

After just returning from an injury that had kept him out of action since August, Captain James is among those who could have a crucial week to improve his condition. Pochettino explained that the Blues and the England coaching staff decided together to keep him at Cobham during this international window.

Pochettino stated, “It’s about taking the best decision for the player, the national team, and Chelsea. It’s not a decision for Reece. He was desperate to go, he wanted to go, but there are two parts: the national team and the club. They have to make the best decision for him.”

Romeo Lavia and Christopher Nkunku, who joined the Blues in the summer, will also be working on their fitness at Cobham as they aim to recover from ailments that have sidelined them since the beginning of the season.

As they recover from injuries, Trevoh Chalobah, Ben Chilwell, Carney Chukwuemeka, and Wesley Fofana will carry out their individual rehabilitation programs at our training facility. Levi Colwill and Malo Gusto, who withdrew from international duty with the England senior squad and the France Under-21s, respectively, owing to injury, will join them in the treatment room while they are evaluated.