Chelsea's winners & losers from November international break
- Cole Palmer made his England debut alongside Conor Gallagher
- Mykhailo Mudryk impressed despite Ukraine's heartbreak
- Christopher Nkunku & Wesley Fofana both returned to on-grass training at Chelsea
By Tom Gott
With the international break now over, Chelsea stars from across the globe are heading back to Cobham to switch their focus on to Saturday's trip to Newcastle United.
Christopher Nkunku and Wesley Fofana both used the break to get back out on the grass after lengthy injury absences and they'll be keen to welcome back their teammates ahead of what could be one of the toughest tests of the season.
Here's the highlights from Mauricio Pochettino's squad during November's international break.
Winner - Cole Palmer
Cole Palmer will forever remember this international break as he was handed his first two senior caps for England.
Sure, both came as late substitutes in two of England's most disappointing performances in a good while, but that's not the point. Palmer earned these caps thanks to his spectacular form with Chelsea and deserved the rewards that came his way.
If he needed more inspiration to maintain his current level, this break may just have provided it.
Loser - Axel Disasi
Disasi is trying to secure more minutes for France but was barely given the chance to prove himself to Didier Deschamps this month.
He didn't even get off the bench in the 14-0 mauling of Gibraltar, before being handed just five minutes of France's 2-2 draw with Greece. While Chelsea fans will be happy that he didn't get injured, Disasi would definitely have wanted a busier break.
Disasi is clearly not a concrete part of Deschamps' thinking, and with France's centre-back depth so intense, he has work to do back at Chelsea to keep himself in the squad.
Winner - Moises Caicedo
Caicedo ended the break with an absolutely monstrous showing in Ecuador's 1-0 win over Chile.
Taking on the box-to-box role in a midfield trio that also included 16-year-old future Blue Kendry Paez (who got the match-winning assist, by the way), Caicedo was absolutely dominant at both ends of the field, shielding his defence and even getting plenty of shots on goal.
Competition for minutes in Chelsea's midfield is about to get incredibly tough, but performances like this will help remind the world why £115m Caicedo deserves to stay in the starting lineup.
Loser - Lesley Ugochukwu
One player who has been on the fringes of Mauricio Pochettino's midfield this season is summer signing Lesley Ugochukwu, who played more minutes for France Under-21s this break that he has seen in the Premier League this season.
Unfortunately, both of Ugochukwu's 90-minute outings ended in crushing defeats.
France's youngsters were thumped 3-0 by South Korea, before falling 2-0 to Austria. Hardly a way to build your confidence.
Winner - Mykhailo Mudryk
Mudryk may not exactly feel like a winner after Ukraine were controversially denied an automatic spot in Euro 2024, but from an individual perspective, he can hold his head high.
The speedy winger bagged a goal and an assist as Ukraine saw off Malta and nearly create an all-important goal against Italy. Mudryk was clearly tripped in the penalty area late in the game but was somehow denied a spot-kick, allowing Italy to sneak through to the competition next summer.
From a Chelsea perspective, Mudryk's goal return is something to get excited about, even if it was against inferior opposition. He's feeling good on the pitch right now, and that's what's been missing for a long time.
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