Chelsea
players will benefit from some time away from Stamford Bridge, says former
England U21 boss Peter Taylor.
The champions have made a poor start to the defence of their title, winning
just three league matches this season to sit 16th in the table, 21 points
worse off than this stage last season.
Seventeen members of Jose Mourinho's first-team squad are away with their
national teams this weekend and Taylor is convinced the break will prove
beneficial for the players, and the manager.
Speaking to
Sky Sports Now, he said: "I think having so many away
might be a good thing. They can have a break, get away from the manager, the
staff and each other.
"They might even come back a little bit fresher for their next game against
Norwich."
Chelsea host Alex Neil's side on November 21 and will look to continue their
record of not losing to a promoted side at home for over 14 years.
However, fellow Sky Sports Now guest Tony Cascarino believes the limited
preparation for that match could heap more pressure on Mourinho.
"He'd love to spend more time on the training ground," said the former
Chelsea striker. "Any manager who is having a run of poor results wants
that.
"They aren't actually playing too badly at the moment. The performance
against Stoke was one of their best this season but they still lost the
game.
"It's going to be a frustrating 10 days, to two weeks for him. When he does
get them back, it's only going to be for a very short period of time to
prepare for the next game. And it's not inconceivable that Norwich can go
there and get something."
The question of whether Chelsea's players are performing at their highest
level for Mourinho has been raised by fans and pundits alike but Cascarino
puts it purely down to a drop in form.
"You cannot question the players are playing for their manager," he said.
"If you say they aren't, you have not been watching the games. Every one of
them is putting a shift in; the commitment to the cause is there.
"But from the start of the season, there have just been a lot of players who
have not played to the level they are capable of. Diego Costa looks more
likely to get a red card than a goal at the moment.
"We know he's a very good centre forward, he holds the ball up and runs in
behind. But he's playing too much outside the 18-yard box for me."
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