Rafael Benitez feels a hectic playing schedule is part and parcel of being with a big club like Chelsea.
The Blues are preparing for Wednesday night's Capital One Cup quarter-final with Leeds United at Elland Road following their trip to Japan for the 2012 FIFA Club World Cup in which they lost the final to Corinthians.
The clash with the Whites will be their eighth since November 26 but Benitez is offering no excuses as his players ready themselves for four more matches before the year is out.
"We played seven - with this one it will be eight - games in 24 days, so it's not easy especially when you have a new manager," he said.
"You don't have time to prepare games and you have to play and go to Japan and come back so it's quite difficult.
"But that's the situation and we have to manage the situation. We played against Corinthians in Japan and they were waiting for us for 15 days and we were just playing a game, going there and we have to play quickly another game.
"When you are in a top side you are in different competitions. That is the way."
