The final two games leading into the November international break were pretty positive for Chelsea and new boss Mauricio Pochettino.
A 4-1 away win at Tottenham was a wonderful result despite the young team’s lack of composure against nine players, while the incredibly thrilling 4-4 draw with Manchester City at Stamford Bridge was celebrated like a victory.
Both performances left a fair amount to be desired in different elements, but nonetheless the Blues still walked away with four points from two very hard matches.
With that to build on, here are three things Chelsea must do during the international break to be stronger when play resumes.
Chelsea may be quite pleased at the timing of this international break given they would have been facing a hideous fixture list in quick succession without it.
Having just played Tottenham and Man City, next up for Pochettino and his squad is a trip to Newcastle followed by a home clash with Brighton and another away day at Old Trafford against Manchester United.
If they are to rise up the table, games like these need to be won.
Chelsea did well to get four points against Tottenham and Man City, but the matches were totally chaotic and didn’t provide a blueprint for success. The next step is to take control of matches like these.
It may be more boring for the rest of us, but a 2-0 win with control against the likes of Newcastle and Man Utd would say a lot about Chelsea’s development.
Between now and Christmas, Chelsea need to start seeing some consistent form from Nicolas Jackson to repay the faith that has been shown to the Senegalese striker.
He has started all but two of their Premier League games and while six goals may seem like a healthy return, three came against Tottenham in the final 15 minutes against nine players after he had missed a hatful of chances. He still had to put the ball in the net, but it wasn’t exactly a vintage hat-trick.
Jackson did grab one of the four goals against Man City but Pochettino now needs to see regular goalscoring contributions, having afforded the youngster plenty of opportunities as the starting striker. If he can be more clinical in front of goal, other things may start to click for Chelsea as a team.
Largely thanks to the chaos within them, the last two fixtures have helped forge a bond between the fan base and this iteration of Chelsea.
Fans have turned on managers after burning cash in the transfer market with no European football to enjoy, but crazy games can also help supporters fall in love with those players and the scenes at the end of the draw with Man City suggested the Blues have plenty of backers.
They need to keep cultivating that and the good vides will only continue if they carry on putting in good performances and picking up points. There a hints of progress but Pochettino must now make good on that.
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