Chelsea needs to hit the ground running when they return to Premier League action with a home game against Bournemouth.
The Blues suffered three straight losses before the World Cup, which left them nine points adrift of the top four. They have not lost four top-flight games in succession since 1998.
Chelsea will kick off at Stamford Bridge in ninth place, and Graham Potter knows his side needs to make up that deficit in the race for Champions League qualification.
Bournemouth is 14th in the table, three points above the relegation zone, and appointed Gary O’Neil as their head coach permanently last month.
Bournemouth are unbeaten in three Premier League games with Chelsea – winning two and drawing one between 2019 and 2020 – and the South Coast contingent braving the chilly journey to the capital have every reason to believe that such a streak may continue.
