Four winners and two losers at Chelsea from the international break

Chelsea are without a win in their last three Premier League games, and need to bounce back in order to not continue slipping down the table.

Chelsea needed this break BADLY… but with so many players racking up minutes for their countries, did it actually help them or could it have made things worse? 🤔

Let us know your reasoning! 👇

Chelsea’s winners and losers from the international break

Alonso may look to some players who have impressed across the international break as his key men upon their return. Let’s take a look at the winners and losers from the last three weeks.

Winners

Romeo Lavia

Having hardly appeared for Belgium before this break, Romeo Lavia will be delighted to get two starts, and four appearances under his belt for his country in the Nations League.

Lavia picked up a sensational assist against France, and his ability to get the ball forwards quickly particularly suits a Chelsea side who excel in attack.

The only concern may be just how many minutes he has played, considering he is still yet to complete 90 minutes since moving to Stamford Bridge.

Morgan Rogers

The quality throughout the England squad makes it very difficult for any player to stand out, but Morgan Rogers impressed greatly throughout the international break.

Both goals and assists are under his belt, and he has maintained the excellent form that he has brought with him to Stamford Bridge to start the campaign.

He showed his versatility throughout the camp by playing in a variety of positions, including a false nine role which could be explored if Joao Pedro’s injury is more serious than feared.

Emi Martinez

While Argentina did not face the most difficult opponents in Lionel Messi’s final games for his country, Emi Martinez will be delighted to go through three games without conceding a goal.

The World Cup winner is yet to keep a clean sheet since moving to Chelsea, something that is going to need to be addressed quickly if the club want to prove they have credentials this season.

He should receive some confidence from 259 minutes played without conceding, ahead of almost certainly starting against Bournemouth on Saturday.

Maxence Lacroix

As France got life under Zinedine Zidane underway, Maxence Lacroix started three of the four games for his nation during the international break.

This comes after he proved to be first-choice in reserve if any injuries were suffered, which was the fate that met William Saliba during the World Cup.

Impressive showings have seen him certainly put his name forward in Zidane’s thinking, and should only cement his place in Alonso’s Chelsea side for the next portion of the campaign.

Losers

Jamie Gittens

Jamie Gittens was already struggling to establish opportunities for himself at Chelsea, although now he is set for more frustration after picking up an injury with the England U21s.

Gittens was spotted on crutches after the game, hinting that he is set for a number of weeks on the sideline.

This may open up opportunities for Geovany Quenda to feature as Rogers’ deputy, potentially making life even more difficult for Gittens throughout the rest of the season.

Cole Palmer

While Rogers took his chance to impress during England duty, Cole Palmer ruled himself out of being able to by withdrawing from the squad before the camp got underway.

Palmer was gutted to not take part, and now he has seen a number of other players in similar positions take their chance to impress Thomas Tuchel.

There is an expectation Palmer will be fit to face Bournemouth, where he has to continue in the same vein that he started the season to stay in his international manager’s thinking.

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