Rudiger, Moses, Omeruo back at Chelsea after extended post-World Cup vacation

The squad may have flown off to Australia on Wednesday night, but Thursday saw the return of two familiar faces to Cobham, Victor Moses and Antonio Rudiger ... and one rather unfamiliar face as well in Kenneth Omeruo. All three of them were involved in the World Cup but neither of their teams made it out of the group stages. Nigeria got a bit unlucky to in finishing third after Croatia and Argentina, while Germany were one of the biggest disappointments as they finish dead last in a group containing Mexico, Sweden, and South Korea.

Hopefully they’ve had a chance to recharge and recover in the three weeks since, especially Rudiger and Moses, who will have a fight on their hands to convince Maurizio Sarri of their qualities. While I’m assuming Omeruo will go out on loan (again) or will finally secure a permanent move somewhere, both Rudiger and Moses were key players last season but in positions that are likely to be greatly affected or flat out excised by Sarri’s new schemes (wide center back and wing-back). Rudiger should be able to transition to a more traditional center back in a back-four, and Moses is certainly not unfamiliar with playing on either the right or the left wing, but they are roles that neither of them has played regularly in the last two seasons.

As with the rest of the players, the first couple days will see them complete some physical exercises and tests. Real training then begins early next week, after the rest of the team return from Australia.

Welcome back! (The bulk of the remaining World Cup players aren’t expected back until August.)