The international break is under way and it means most of Chelsea’s squad will be in action for their countries.
It might come at a frustrating time for Frank Lampard, with the Blues boss not having had much time to work together on the training pitch.
In the second half rout of Crystal Palace on Saturday, there were clear signs that the Blues were starting to click and gel.
However, that has to continue if they really want to push for the Premier League title this season.
So what will Lampard have to do over the course of the international break ahead of the Southampton match on October 17.
With all the incomings, there are also a few players who are now going to be on the fringes and lacking game time.
Antonio Rudiger, Fikayo Tomori, Emerson Palmieri and Marcos Alonso failed to get moves away on transfer deadline day.
Lampard is going to want his players to fight for places within his squad and trying to get into the starting XI.
One of the tasks is going to be to invigorate those players to want to play for him and give their all in every minute of action they get.
It’s going to be a big test for his man management skills, and with a bloated squad he is going to have a tough time on his hands.
Ziyech and Pulisic fitness
The Blues have missed two big players at the start of the campaign with both Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic having been out.
The latter has featured in just ten minutes of Premier League action just before the international break, but Ziyech has not featured at all.
However, it hasn’t stopped Ziyech from joining up with the Moroccan national team and potentially playing for his country.
If he picks up another injury or suffers a set-back, then Lampard is obviously not going to be pleased.
Lampard is going to be trying to get both players back to full fitness and have them ready to go for Southampton.
Decide on Werner’s position
Timo Werner had an exciting start to life at Chelsea, despite not finding the back of the net apart from in the Carabao Cup.
The 24-year-old is a versatile option for Lampard, with Werner starting the first match of the campaign up front.
However, since then he has been shifted over to the wing, with Kai Havertz playing behind Tammy Abraham.
While Werner can play in that position, however there is a feeling that it is not getting the best out of the Germany international.
Werner is a natural goalscorer and so frustration will set in if he is not getting the chances to put in the back of the net.
Getting him in the final third and the box to finish off chances has to be a priority for the Blues boss.
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