International breaks mean long stretches without any actual club football to talk about, which inevitably means small issues become magnified, and the focus turns to things that otherwise would be washed away by results and performances.
The perfect example is Christopher Nkunku’s situation at Chelsea right now. The attacker is not getting the minutes he wants in the league, and long term it’s going to become a problem for Chelsea. But it is all getting blown out of proportion right now because there’s not much else to talk about.
As Simon Johnson points out in his long piece for the Athletic about Nkunku’s situation, things could look very different in a month or two:
“Chelsea still regard Nkunku as an important member of the squad and with so many matches remaining, believe there are plenty of opportunities for him to make his mark,” Johnson writes.
“For example, Saturday’s game at Leicester begins a run of 11 fixtures in 38 days. Squad rotation will be a must, plus injuries or a drop in performance could happen to [Cole] Palmer or [Nicolas] Jackson at any point.”
It’s also noted – perhaps by someone at Chelsea, that the club “might expect Nkunku… to be a little patient given he was barely available for section in 2022-2023.”
Nkunku to be rewarded in pre-Christmas run
The links with moves to Manchester United and other places are only going to become more frequent as the Frenchman racks up more minutes on the bench. But once this break is over, the tension will drop massively. This run of 11 games in 38 days is sure to see Nkunku at least double the 154 Premier League minutes he’s played so far, as rotation becomes a necessity rather than a luxury.
If we reach January and he’s in the same position, things will change. Until then, it’s just the inevitable chatter of the second week of an international break.
