Chelsea skidded into the international break with a run of five wins on the spin halted at home by Nottingham Forest.
The early parts of the season suggest it was a wise decision from the club’s hierarchy to part company with Mauricio Pochettino at the back end of last term and bring in Enzo Maresca instead.
He has done a fine job since arriving from Leicester, turning Chelsea from the chaotic mess that they were into genuine top four contenders.
Are we surprised? Kind of. With a bloated squad and a lack of direction, who knew what was going to happen to the Blues this season? Yet, with the squad they do have we shouldn’t be overly shocked. It’s a cracking selection of players and most of them have hit the ground running swiftly in 2024/25.
So, how did some of those star players get on while in action for their countries over the break?
Chelsea during the October international break
It’s been a bit of a whirlwind week and a half for those of an England persuasion with Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and Levi Colwill now fresh in the knowledge that former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel will replace interim manager Lee Carsley in 2025.
Palmer will no doubt be an imperative part of that side having starred now for well over a year in Chelsea colours. He’s come flying out of the traps this term too, scoring six goals in as many games, although four of those did come in the romp over Brighton.
Still, the former Manchester City ace enjoyed a fine break. Although he didn’t score or register an assist, he was named England Player of the Year. Not bad work at all, Cole.
His England colleague, Colwill, was unfortunately left out for the win in Finland but he was part of the backline that lost so dramatically to Greece last week.
| Cole Palmer vs Finland | |
|---|---|
| Minutes played | 69 |
| Touches | 51 |
| Accurate passes | 28/33 (85%) |
| Key passes | 1 |
| Crosses | 1/4 |
| Shots | 1 |
| Dribbles completed | 2/3 |
| Duels won | 5/8 |
| Tackles | 2 |
| Stats via Sofascore. | |
Elsewhere, there was a goal for Christopher Nkunku in France colours against Israel as Les Bleus won 4-1.
For Portugal, Joao Felix was benched in their 3-1 win over Poland and then only appeared as a second-half substitute for the final two minutes in their 0-0 draw with Scotland. International colleague Pedro Neto played no part in that match but did start against the Polish, creating one key pass and completing all three of his dribble attempts.
Away from Europe, Enzo Fernandez looked in pretty good touch for a rampant Argentina…
Enzo Fernandez’s performances for Argentina
Over the summer Argentina were victorious in the Copa America and with the great Lionel Messi in tow, they have continued their fine form.
Lionel Scaloni’s men were pegged back by Venezuela, drawing 1-1, but they were rampant against Bolivia in the early hours of Wednesday morning, winning 6-0.
Messi scored a hat-trick, of course, he did, while another goalscorer was former Manchester City striker Julian Alvarez, now of Atletico Madrid.
Fernandez may not have scored but he was phenomenal in that win over the Bolivians. GOAL notably handed him an 8/10 match rating, writing: ‘Thought he earned an assist early in the first half, but VAR called Otamendi’s header back. Otherwise, ran the game in the centre of the pitch in calm and composed fashion.’
The numbers help paint the picture of just how good the Chelsea midfielder was.
During the course of the contest, the 23-year-old World Cup winner was exquisite, registering a mammoth 126 touches and completing 108 of his 113 passes. For context, no player on the field registered higher numbers in either category.
Furthermore, Fernandez won three of his six duels and completed seven of his nine long passes, spraying the ball about in sublime fashion.
The Argentine perhaps hasn’t quite been at his best in Chelsea colours this term but this was a reminder of his qualities.
Maresca will no doubt be hoping for more of the same after the break.
