Big injury boost, relaxed Romelu Lukaku - Five things spotted as Chelsea return to training

Chelsea's players were afforded a couple of days off after being crowned world champions but the first-team squad returned to Cobham yesterday as preparations for Saturday's Premier League clash at Crystal Palace began.

Due to the January international break, the FA Cup and the Blues' involvement in the Club World Cup, it's been almost a month since Chelsea were in action in the English top flight.

Not that their position in the table has been impacted. Thomas Tuchel's side remain in third and hold a four-point advantage over Manchester United, who moved up to fourth with a 2-0 win over Brighton at Old Trafford last night.

The following weeks are going to be intense for the Blues, with the Champions League returning, the race to finish in the Premier League top four intensifying, and the small matter of the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool to come at the end of the month.

So there can be no let-up from Tuchel or his players, the majority of which are fit and ready to be called upon in the games ahead.

And here is what we spotted from the first training session undertaken by the Chelsea squad since being crowned champions of the world after their victory over Palmeiras in the Club World Cup final on Saturday.

That the Club World Cup was relocated to Abu Dhabi – it was originally set to be played in Japan – meant the Chelsea first-team squad were able to enjoy a week of warm-weather training.

With winter temperatures in the UAE in the mid-20s (Celsius), the Blues players soaked in the sun and escaped from the cold and grey British winter for a few days.

But on the squad's return to Cobham yesterday, reality would very much have set back in. The evening session was played under floodlights, in the driving rain and