When Chelsea players will return after Mauricio Pochettino grants winter break time off

Chelsea’s players have been rewarded for their 1-0 win over Fulham with a period of time off.

Mauricio Pochettino‘s side headed into the winter break following a narrow win over local neighbours Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Cole Palmer‘s penalty in first half stoppage time sealed a league double over the Cottagers and earned Chelsea their fourth league home win in a row.

“This is a crucial win for us, especially given there aren’t too many games this month,” reflected Palmer to the official Chelsea website post-match.

“We need to get points on the board and climb up the table because, let’s be honest, the position we are in isn’t good enough with the talent we have in the squad.

“We know we can be a lot higher but we are starting to perform well now and I think we can push on by having a strong second half of the season.

“There’s plenty of points still to play for and we believe we can still have a successful season.”

It’s three wins in a row for Chelsea at home and they now have just over a week until their next match, which comes against Middlesbrough in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie. They are needing to overcome a one goal deficit following a disappointing defeat at the Riverside Stadium earlier this week.

With a period of time between their next game, Pochettino’s side have been given several days off, Nathan Gissing has revealed.

Chelsea will report back to their Cobham training ground on Wednesday to prepare for Middlesbrough, which will see them have Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off.

One player who has already taken advantage of jetting off is Enzo Fernandez. He shared a photo of him in the mountains at a ski resort.

Chelsea have an important month ahead with a chance to reach Wembley in the Carabao Cup, a fourth round FA Cup tie against Aston Villa and a trip to Anfield to face Liverpool to close January.