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The international break has given Chelsea some time to reflect on their season thus far, and possibly make adjustments ahead of a potentially gruelling final phase of the season.
The Blues have turned it around under Thomas Tuchel, securing 10 wins and four draws in 14 outings. They have only conceded twice in that period.
Now with more than half the squad absent due to international duty, the management can look back and see where they can improve as well as focus on transfers.
As always, the rumour mill has churned out interesting stories surrounding Chelsea and here we will list the major ones from March 24, 2021.
Chelsea's Tuchel shares insight on international break
While many would say the international break has halted Chelsea's immaculate momentum, Thomas Tuchel sees the bright side of the breather.
He said:
"It gives you time to breathe a little bit. It is good to have some free days. Maybe we can use it as a little bit of a pause before the decisive part of the season. When we regroup it is April and we can refocus on the next eight weeks where we want to achieve the best results possible."
Indeed, the Chelsea manager might be right because he only had a few hours of rest after he landed in London. On the very first day, he was in Cobham, preparing the Blues for a Premier League fixture against Wolverhampton Wanderers. Tuchel added:
"It’s nice timing. Normally I prefer to keep everybody together, but it’s good timing, and anyway we can’t change it! I will try to relax, which is normally not a problem on days off, and from there we go."
Chelsea interested in FC Porto's Corona
Chelsea are keeping tabs on FC Porto's Jesus Corona as they aim to strengthen their midfield with a versatile player.
They have been scouting the player for the past two years, but haven't taken a significant step towards snapping him up. He was available for €30 million almost a year ago, and even his agent confirmed Chelsea's interest, saying:
"They asked about his situation. But the same thing happened with other clubs, although none of them exercised a formal approach."
Corona has already made a whopping 40 appearances this season, and is likely to take on Chelsea in the last eight of the Champions League post the international break.
Richards feel Chelsea will be 'scary' if they sign Haaland
Earlier in the week, Sky Sports pundit Micah Richards said Chelsea could become a frightening unit if they can land Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.
The forward has smashed 33 goals across all competitions this season, and has caught the eye of many clubs. Chelsea happen to be one of them, as they need a prolific striker in front of goal.
Richards opined:
"I think they have absolutely everything. They’ve sorted out their defensive problems, the only thing to add that little bit of icing on the cake would be a striker. They’ve got Werner and Havertz in there. If you put Haaland in this team, they’ll be scary next season."
