Chelsea stars given three days off to refresh after sealing third successive Premier League win against Fulham: Reports
Chelsea stars were reportedly given three days off from training after their narrow Premier League win against Fulham on Saturday (January 13).
The Blues eked out a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge courtesy of a penalty kick from summer signing Cole Palmer in the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time. The win marked the Blues' third Premier League victory in a row, following their wins over Crystal Palace (2-1, H) and Luton Town (3-2, A) last month.
The Chelsea players and staff members, according to the Daily Mail, were given three days' rest after the gameweek 20 win against the Cottagers. Notably, Chelsea had a 10-day gap between matches after the game against Marco Silva's side.
Their next assignment is a second-leg EFL Cup semi-final clash against Middlesbrough at home on 23 January. They lost the first-leg encounter 1-0 away from home on 9 January courtesy of a first-half goal from Hayden Hackney.
Asked about his plans in the days following the win over Fulham, Mauricio Pochettino told reporters:
"I need to go to see my family and it is going to be good to have a change. I won’t really be able to switch off — not with the chairman! I will need to be available 24 hours a day. I would prefer it if the phone did not ring. If it does not ring, it is much better for me."
So far, Chelsea have signed 18-year-old Jamaican forward Dujuan Richards in January while loaning out Ian Maatsen and David Datro Fofana to Borussia Dortmund and Burnley, respectively.
Axel Disasi surprised at Chelsea's table position after Fulham win
Axel Disasi was surprised to hear that Chelsea were still placed eighth in the Premier League table after beating Fulham.
The Blues have been languishing in the bottom half of the standings for much of the season under Mauricio Pochettino. Perhaps Disasi hoped that a win against the Cottagers, which was Chelsea's third league win in a row, would be enough to propel them into the European spots. But that wasn't the case.
The win took the Blues to eighth in the table, who now have 31 points from 21 league matches. After hearing Chelsea's position in the table on Saturday, the 25-year-old French centre-back, who played the full 90 minutes against Fulham, said, via the aforementioned source:
"We are eighth?!. We are not in the position we want but if we keep the same mentality we showed against Fulham at the end of the season, it could be good."
It is worth mentioning that Chelsea fell to ninth in the table after Manchester United's 2-2 draw against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday (15 January). Currently, Chelsea, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Manchester City are the only teams to have won their last three Premier League matches.