Chelsea FC are off until Nov 20, when they’ll face Leicester City in Premier League competition. They currently sit top of the able, with 26 points, three ahead of Manchester City, and boasting a +23 goal differential.
With that in mind, let’s talk Chelsea news and notes this international break, starting with Kai Havertz, who has shown that he is indeed fully fit. (for the Chelsea transfer talk round-up go here) There had been reports, heading into this international period, claiming the German had a bruised thigh and was set to miss out on the November World Cup qualifiers.
Instead he opened the scoring today for Germany, in the 15′, giving him goals in back to back matches with Deutschland. He now has five goals in his seven starts for club and country.
Elsewhere, check out this very memorable quote from Blues boss Thomas Tuchel. He’s really outlining the ambitions for this season, and given where they currently are, and the squad that they have, this should be the goal:
“I will not rest, we don’t want to rest. I want the next title, I demand the next title."
– Thomas Tuchel ?? pic.twitter.com/uyGii4OVQh
— Sporting Index (@sportingindex) November 14, 2021
Moving on to Mason Mount, he withdrew from the England squad due to some pain and discomfort he’s in following dental surgery. He’s returned to Chelsea now and is hoping to be available for selection on the weekend against the Foxes.
The next fitness update covers striker Romelu Lukaku, who took to Twitter to say that he hopes to be back soon, once this international break is over.
Here’s the update he provided:
https://twitter.com/RomeluLukaku9/status/1459082808186613764
Just a couple hours ago, the club posted this photo of Big Rom hard at work in the gym:
By the way, Belgium has now qualified for the World Cup, so they really didn’t need Lukaku this time around anyway.
RL9. ?@RomeluLukaku9 pic.twitter.com/5jEP6qcMq3
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 14, 2021
And finally, Christian Pulisic really made his mark, in his return to international play this week, with his not only scoring the game winning goal against Mexico on Friday night, but also achieving a major clapback against the USA’s biggest rivals.
It was fun times all around for all involved!
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.