Having been afforded a few days off by Mauricio Pochettino, the Chelsea players returned to Cobham this afternoon to begin our preparations for the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Middlesbrough.

With no Premier League fixture scheduled this weekend, the Blues were given three days off to relax and recharge.

‘We need to give the players some rest,’ said Pochettino on Saturday after our win at Fulham. ‘But also the staff, because it has been a busy period and they need to breathe a little bit. The break is well deserved.’

Some of the squad headed for warmer climates; others opted to remain in a freezing London. But the players all returned to our training base this afternoon and got back to work in the gym and on the training pitches.

Enzo Fernandez was among those involved, and the midfielder was celebrating his 23rd birthday.

It has been almost a year since the Argentina international swapped Benfica for Chelsea, and he has reflected on his first 12 months at Stamford Bridge.

‘The first six months were difficult; the second part of last year was better,’ Enzo explained.

‘That the current coaching staff speak Spanish has helped a lot. I am working to reach my best level and hope to meet the club’s expectations. I’ll keep doing my best.’

Carney Chukwuemeka also took part in the session after he made his return to action at the weekend against Fulham. It was the 20-year-old’s first appearance since he suffered a knee injury against West Ham United in August.

Ben Chilwell made his comeback from injury on Saturday, having recovered from a hamstring injury sustained at the end of September against Brighton and Hove Albion.

A huge ovation greeted the England international as he entered the pitch with a little more than ten minutes to play, and Chilwell expressed his gratitude for the support he received from the Chelsea faithful.

‘It’s felt like a long time [being out], but I had a great reception from the fans,’ he said. ‘So thanks to them for that, and it was just great to be back out on the pitch.

‘The fans have been brilliant with me throughout the injury, and the support from them has been amazing. It’s certainly not gone unnoticed; I thank them for the support and, as I said, it’s just an amazing feeling to be back out there playing at Stamford Bridge.’

There are five more days of training scheduled ahead of our clash with Middlesbrough. The Blues head into that fixture knowing there is work to do to turn around a first-leg deficit and secure a place in the final at Wembley.

Two positives ahead of the game are the respective returns of Benoit Badiashile and Trevoh Chalobah. The former is back in full team training, while the latter is now in his reconditioning stage.