Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel felt it was the right time to give his players a week off.

Tuchel is currently joining his table-topping squad in having a well-earned week away from training and matches.

He told the club's website: "Looking at the fixtures in December and January, it's a lot.

"The Club World Cup is coming and national break travels so we decided here, also for the staff, to give one week off completely.

"It's to give everybody the chance to recover, also mentally, and to recharge the batteries because December and January will be tough, no more breaks, and we want to push the team to the limit and that's why we use the time now."