There has been very little opportunity for Thomas Tuchel to shake things up since being appointed Chelsea head coach.
The intense fixture list coupled with strict Covid-19 protocols across the United Kingdom has meant the Blues' players and staff have had little time to bond away from the training pitches of Cobham. Their schedule has been largely the same: play, recover, train, repeat.
Yet Tuchel was presented with a chance to break the monotony this week. And he very much took it. After Chelsea's Champions League quarter-final clash with Porto in Seville on Tuesday night, there was no mad dash to the airport to catch a flight back to London, no need for the players to be getting home in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Instead, the travelling party returned to their hotel on the Spanish coast and had some time to relax. Tuchel was even happy for his players to have a post-match glass of wine or a beer.
"We are aware that it is necessary to recover mentally," Tuchel explained. "We decided to stay overnight in Seville because we knew the hotel, it was very nice, in a nice setting. We had the chance to sit outside because the weather was very warm. It was a calming environment to enjoy each other's company.
"We had a good sleep and we had a chance to stay together after the match because we created a bubble there. It was a good chance because the players have not been able to go out, go to restaurants. For almost a year now, we can't share a dressing room.
"So we created this just to feel some time together, have talks outside of tactics and lineups, to bond, let the players bond, enjoy an evening after a game. They could have a glass of wine or beer if they want. It was important to have this environment and organise it like this. It was part of the mental recovery."
Since replacing Frank Lampard at the end of January, Tuchel has made a concerted effort to keep things fresh in training. It's why the Chelsea players have used size-one footballs in sessions and have engaged in games of handball.
The German believes it's vital to mix things up at Cobham, to challenge the players in new ways in order avoid mental fatigue at the crucial point of the campaign.
"We are aware that we have many meetings after games and training sessions," he added. "We want to have sessions where there isn't too much explanation or talking, just to find exercises on the pitch that bring a lot of fun, joy, and sweat out the tension.
"Things like this are very important to help with the seriousness of how we prepare and play in games. They must enjoy it, have a good atmosphere at Cobham. This is what I want to be part of.
"Everyone is happy to see each other over breakfast and lunch. Everybody is important to influence each other in a good way, to be happy to be here, work at this level is a privilege.
"You feel part of a family and these are all the little steps we do to let the players switch off. In a tough schedule like this, it is important to switch off and let go which isn't easy in these times."
