After a two-week winter break that mirrored Chelsea’s season in terms of inconsistency — extreme boredom followed by extreme action — football returns this weekend.
And it’s back with a vengeance, with Chelsea facing an absolutely massive sequence of home matches, starting with Monday’s test against Manchester United, followed by Saturday’s clash against Tottenham Hotspur, and then a Champions League knockout round first leg against Bayern the Tuesday after. Three games, eight days, season possibly on the line — or at least the tone for the final third of the season on the line. Three wins, and we’re golden. Anything less, well...
So, first up, Manchester United. Unfortunately, Chelsea did not get much healthier over the break, but are perhaps more rested. Christian Pulisic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek remain out (both could feature for the U23s on Monday actually), while Tammy Abraham continues to carry the ankle knock he picked up before the break.
Our task would be a little easier with all three of those guys healthy. Alas, we’ll have to do it the hard way.