Chelsea are taking the positives despite defeat in a behind-closed-doors friendly during the international break.
Details of who featured during Chelsea's 2-0 defeat to Portsmouth in a behind-closed-doors friendly during the international break have emerged.
With the extended break, Xabi Alonso has been working with a smaller group of first-team players at their Cobham training base, while many of the Blues' stars have been representing their nations.
Chelsea are looking to end a three-game winless streak in the Premier League after failing to secure a win in September, with their only victory coming against Leeds United in the Carabao Cup.
The break has given Alonso a chance to analyse Chelsea's start and identify where to improve. It doesn't take a genius to understand what they need to improve. Defensively, it's been a disappointing start to the season, with 12 goals conceded in their first five league games.
Chelsea have yet to keep a clean sheet this season, so they rely on their attack to bail them out and hope to outscore their opponents. But when they struggle to score, as seen in the 3-0 loss to Brentford before the international break, the Blues have been exposed by their failure to find the net.
One area hindering Chelsea is availability. They have been without the likes of Marco Palestra, Reece James, Moises Caicedo and Joao Pedro. Cole Palmer has also been managing his workload as he looks to maintain full fitness. He withdrew from the England squad due to a minor injury.
Despite a 2-0 defeat to Portsmouth, currently in the Championship, the friendly gave Chelsea a chance to ease those who have been sidelined before their return against AFC Bournemouth on October 10 - the first of five games in October.
It could see Palestra make his official debut for the club since his summer arrival from Atalanta.
As reported by the Daily Mail, the friendly was used for 'tactical work' and described as a 'training exercise'.
The full squad who featured against Portsmouth remains unclear, but it's reported that it involved some of the players who are working their way back to fitness.
Several youngsters from the academy also featured in the friendly at the weekend, giving them a chance to showcase themselves to Alonso.
Insiders were 'not alarmed' by the defeat, which saw Chelsea unable to score.
Setting the result aside, it can be seen as a positive for many players, giving them minutes to speed up their return timeline.
Chelsea have one more full week to prepare for Bournemouth's visit to Stamford Bridge. Marco Rose's side are one of three Premier League teams without a league win this season, and the Blues will be keen to avoid being the first to lose to the Cherries.
