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While the end of the worldwide pandemic is still not in sight, some sports leagues around the world have decided that the show must go on.
Following the return of Bundesliga in the middle of May 2020, the Premier League declared their intention of returning to action from the third week of June. The idea is to wrap the campaign up in six weeks, while allowing teams ample time to recuperate before the start of the 2020/21 season.
To manage fixture congestion and player fatigue, the Premier League is expected to accept FIFA's proposal of allowing five substitutions per match. As directed by football's leading authority, teams can now switch five players instead of the usual three. They will still only be granted three windows of opportunity plus the half-time break to do so.
Chelsea are one of the teams better placed to take advantage of the new rule, as reported by The Athletic. With further reports claiming that the Blues have asked the league to increase the bench size from seven to nine, one could deduce that Frank Lampard is planning to rotate his squad much more frequently.
Who then, are the players in the Chelsea squad most likely to benefit from the new ruling? Should the league accept FIFA's recommendation, these five players could play bigger roles for Chelsea when the Premier League returns.
5 Chelsea players set to play bigger roles:
#5 Tino Anjorin
Chelsea have a long list of youngsters waiting in line to break into the first-team. With the curtailment of the youth leagues, some of them are likely to feature with the senior squad when football returns.
The likes of Ian Maatsen, Tino Anjorin, and Armando Broja have trained with the senior squad on several occasions this season, and could be given an extended run in the team upon the Premier League's resumption.
Attacking midfielder Anjorin is currently the best-placed of the three youngsters to play a bigger role in the last few weeks of the season. The Englishman is naturally a talented individual, and unlike his youth teammates, is faced with less competition for first-team minutes. The 18-year-old can play on the wings as well, evident from his senior Premier League debut against Everton this season.
Anjorin is expected to feature in 'dead-rubber' games when the league returns. He could play an even bigger role if Chelsea are unable to agree on contract extensions with Pedro and Willian.
#4 Billy Gilmour
Billy Gilmour was among the players who suffered the most due to the suspension of football. The Scottish central midfielder was on a fine run, during which he had made his full Premier League debut and won two back-to-back man-of-the-match awards. However, just when the youngster looked to have cemented his place in the starting eleven, everything came to a halt.
Nonetheless, Gilmour is expected to continue where he left off when football resumes in two weeks. For starters, Jorginho's ongoing suspension means that the Scotsman is the only deep-lying playmaker available to Frank Lampard.
Furthermore, with N'Golo Kante's apprehensions regarding the restart of the league, Gilmour is all but guaranteed a starting spot when Chelsea play Aston Villa in their first match since return.
Whether he can sustain his form through the six weeks of play is yet to be seen. However, the 18-year-old is certain to add to his four league appearances before the end of the current campaign.
#3 Ross Barkley
Ross Barkley is a player who continues to divide opinions at Stamford Bridge. The Englishman will complete his second full season at Chelsea in a few weeks but is still not a regular starter in the first team. However, with the squads set to be rotated more frequently following the league's resumption, he is among the players destined to play a bigger role.
Barkley has averaged just 7.5 'nineties' this season - a figure which is among the bottom ten in the squad. He has started eight matches, been subbed in thirteen times, and is yet to score a goal. However, the England international did have some moments of promise just before the season was suspended, including a stunning solo goal against Liverpool in the FA Cup.
The 26-year-old is versatile enough to play both as an attacking and a central midfielder - a trait which may come in handy for Frank Lampard during Chelsea's run-in.
#2 Ruben Loftus-Cheek
The first few months of 2019 were probably the best of Ruben Loftus-Cheek's Chelsea career. The English midfielder had established himself as one of the starting members of the first-team squad and was set to reprise his role in central midfield in the Europa League final. However, disaster struck just weeks before the match, when the Englishman ruptured his Achilles in a poorly-planned friendly. He has not played for the Blues since.
Loftus-Cheek has benefited from a lengthy break in the middle of the football season. The England international is now fully recovered and back in training with the first-team.
His return could give Chelsea a major boost ahead of their season's run-in too, with the 24-year-old a known goal threat from the middle of the park. He scored six times in the league last season and provided two further assists, and was second only to Eden Hazard in goal contributions per ninety minutes (minus penalties).
#1 Olivier Giroud
Olivier Giroud recently confirmed that he was almost out of the Stamford Bridge door during the January 2020 transfer window. However, Chelsea's inability to bring in a replacement before the deadline meant that the Frenchman was forced to stay at the club until the end of the season.
However, that decision has turned out to be a great one for both the club and the player. The France international was able to force his way back into Frank Lampard's plans in February and even scored twice in the league in three matches. Owing to his form, and the complications brought forth by the pandemic, he was recently awarded a one-year contract extension by the London club.
Before the season's suspension, Giroud had completed only 4.9 'nineties' for the Blues in the league. However, his form before the break, along with his contract renewal, suggest that he will be featuring a lot more for Frank Lampard's team when football returns.
