For the first time since the last international break, Frank Lampard will have more than three days to prepare his team for a game. And the head coach believes that the opportunity to do more work on the training ground can be key to helping them overcome their awful run of form.
Saturday's 1-0 defeat at home to a Bournemouth team that had lost five in a row was Chelsea's fourth defeat from five and the side collectively performed poorly.
A number of players appeared to lack energy and, after a taxing spell, Lampard is planning to use the next few days as an opportunity to recharge batteries but also work hard on the training pitch, with his players' ability to unlock sides that sit back defensively a growing concern.
"A little bit of fatigue might be part of the picture and we will look at that behind the scenes but I think it's probably more for training," Lampard said of the week to prepare for next Sunday's trip to Tottenham Hotspur.
"We've had a big spell now of game after game after game. Sometimes it feels good when you are winning consistently but now we have a couple of difficult results it might be good for some of us to go over things on the training pitch."
Asked by football.london if his team's inability to penetrate a team that sits deep and is happy to counter is something that can be fixed in training, Lampard added: "Yes and no. I don't think that's a training ground thing. That's more an on the pitch thing.
"There's talent in that room that can break a low block with a pass or a moment. First you have to take on that moment, not be safe, and second you have to execute it. Today we didn't do both enough."
He would also not point the finger of blame at his younger players, suggesting that the more senior members of the squad need to step up in such situations.
"It's a hard one because there is a balance in the team," he said. "It's not all youth but if you are a young player and if the door shuts on you a couple of times it can be easy to not try and open with it again.
"That comes from experience so if you're looking at it from that side I can definitely give some space to the young players that they might have some of these days. But through the squad we have got and the team we had out today there needs to be more."
