International Break: Everything you should know Chelsea edition

The second international break of the season is approaching and it is that time again to take a deep breath, relax and unpack what has happened since the last international break. It has been a chaotic past few fixtures for Chelsea, some low moments and some incredibly high moments too. This will cover the stand out performers, fixture reviews and also look at what's to come this international break.

Low moments

You could say that Chelsea's season really started during the window of fixtures between this international break and the last one. They had their first couple of Champions league fixtures, one away at Bayern and the other was at home to Benfica.

The game against Bayern was a difficult one with the Blues losing 3-1. The performance was not so bad however Bayern just proved to be too much. It was almost a reality check for the Chelsea player's who had been on such a high since the Club World Cup win against PSG. In this game the standout was Cole Palmer who found himself on the scoresheet once again.

The real problem arose when questions started to be asked of the backline. While the performance overall was not bad it foreshadowed what was to come in terms of defensive troubles. The Bayern defeat was the start of a run of winless games for the Blues who then travelled to Old Trafford in a massive Premier League game. The game against United was one of the low moments so far this season.

I had a lot of confidence going into the game however within the first 10 minutes Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was sent off. Shortly after United took the lead and it looked like it was going to be a long night for the Blues. Maresca was forced into a change that saw Estevao be withdrawn and then he also had to take off the exciting winger Pedro Neto. The changes did not stop there however with Palmer having to come off due to a groin injury. Chelsea ended up losing the game which felt like a real blow for Chelsea fans and the team.

The low moments did not stop there with the blues going down 3-1 to Brighton at home the following week with Chalobah being shown the red card this time. 2 weeks in a row the Blues went down to 10 men, losing both fixtures which made it 0 points out of 6 and 3 consecutive defeats in the Champions League and the Premier League.

An early sending off at Old Trafford 😳

Robert Sanchez sees red for denying Bryan Mbeumo a goalscoring opportunity 🟥 pic.twitter.com/ahQfa8aRmw

— Premier League (@premierleague) September 20, 2025

High moments

It is fair to say that the Chelsea boys were tested in this window of fixtures with some real low moments as mentioned above however you can look at it as a test of character as-well. I was curious as to how the players would respond to a run of some poor performances and we saw that response in the game against Liverpool.

It was yet again another massive game that lived up to the hype. Going into the game, confidence was low. The defensive struggles were worrying and i just was not sure how the players would respond especially missing such key players like Palmer through injury. The game delivered in all aspects and Chelsea put in a statement like performance. Caicedo scored a screamer within the first 15 minuted of the game which gave Chelsea the lead. An iconic Stamford Bridge goal which i am sure will be remembered for many years to come.

Liverpool found an equaliser late in the game which set up the last 20 minutes to be an incredible watch. In what was the real high of this period of fixtures Chelsea youngster Esetvao Willian announced himself to the world appearing in the box to slot home the winner in the 95th minute. The roar of Stamford Bridge when the goal was scored was electric and it made fans forget about the run of red cards and poor performances before hand. It was a much needed win for Chelsea who will look to use it as fuel and belief that they can compete with the very best.

Thank God for the Victory Today. First Premier League Goal and +3 😅💙 pic.twitter.com/e0KufHoG3r

— Estêvão Willian 🇧🇷 fã (@CFCEstevao_) October 4, 2025

Round up

Overall it was an up and down period of fixtures for Chelsea which saw some real low moments which included some painful losses and red cards shown however the match winner against Liverpool was the best possible way to enter the international break.

Chelsea go into the break sitting 7th on the table and will be looking to climb the ladder in the next window of fixtures. The Liverpool game was a big momentum boost and a shift which could be pivotal in seeing the Blues make a charge for the top 4.