3 Chelsea Players Who Must Hit Form After International Break
With no trophies left to play for and a minor miracle needed to finish in the top four, Chelsea's season is all but over.
The club's task is to now plan ahead for 2016/17 and attempt to avoid the mistakes they made this season when the Premier League champions failed to live up to their billing.
While the club's season may be over as a contest, there is still plenty for individual players to be playing for.
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When the domestic season reaches a climax in May, there is the small matter of Euro 2016 and the Copa America to consider. So given the cosmopolitan nature of their squad, we can expect plenty of Chelsea stars to be targeting a starting place with their countries.
Not only that, but there are new contracts to be played for at Stamford Bridge. With a new manager being appointed, the coming weeks will be vital for players to prove their worth and earn a place in the new regime.
It's going to be an intriguing couple of months, so we've identified three Chelsea players who have the most to gain between now and May.
Gary Cahill
It's been an unsettling season for the majority of Chelsea players, and defender Gary Cahill has probably been among those to have suffered most. That's not to label him as Chelsea's biggest underperformer, but it more highlights the fact the 30-year-old has struggled while those around him have faltered.
The Englishman hasn't looked his usual assured self and it's impacted performances dramatically.
In the early part of the campaign, Cahill was getting overexposed due to Branislav Ivanovic's struggles at right-back. Then he paid the price by losing his starting place to Kurt Zouma.
Cahill captained England in their 3-2 win over Germany on Saturday, but he still came in for some criticism for the Germans' second goal in that game.
To be fair to Cahill, he seemed to pass Mario Gomez to Nathaniel Clyne, who struggled to get goalside of the striker, leaving him with a free header.
What's been suggested since is that the former Bolton Wanderers man lacks the seniority to be a commanding centre-back, which has long been questioned. Without John Terry alongside him, is Cahill the same player?
It's those sort of factors that will affect where things go for him beyond this year at Chelsea. With a new manager coming in and Terry all set to depart, his performances are going to be analysed closely.
Cahill only signed a new contract late last year, but there is a feeling he's playing for his Chelsea future now. Like most of his team-mates, his task is to show the first half of the season was a blip and he's now back to his best.
That means avoiding some of the sloppy mistakes that have crept into his game. Cahill needs to return to the dominant defender we have seen for much of his Chelsea career to show he can be a big part of the back line post-Terry.
Not only that, but there are still doubts over whether Cahill is among England's best centre-backs, let alone Chelsea's. He must demonstrate to England boss Roy Hodgson that he is, otherwise Cahill may be facing a disappointing summer at Euro 2016.
Like Cahill, midfielder Eden Hazard needs a positive end to the season for a number of reasons. Firstly, there is the issue of his Chelsea future, where the coming weeks are going to determine where Hazard is playing his football next season.
Perform well and it will restore the faith him at Stamford Bridge, with the new Chelsea boss being served a reminder of just what a talent he is.
There is an alternative to that scenario, though. A solid end to the season for Hazard could well seal his move away from west London, if that really has been the reason for his dramatic demise this term.
Right now, the 25-year-old doesn't look anything like an £80 million player, which is the sort of bid we're expecting any admirers will have to table if Chelsea are to consider selling Hazard. The Belgian is just over 12 months into a new five-and-a-half-year contract which comes with significant weight where any transfer fee is concerned.
If Hazard really does see his future being away from Chelsea, he needs to remind clubs of what they're getting because this season has shown too many flaws in his game. Now is the time for him to show he is worth such a hefty investment.
Closer to Hazard's mind will surely be Euro 2016. He has been struggling with injury since December and hasn't looked fit at all because a hip problem continues to plague him.
Hazard must show Belgium head coach Marc Wilmots he has overcome those problems and can be the Red Devils' key man in France.
John Terry
We could have made any number of Chelsea players the third man in our list, but given the urgency of defender Terry's situation and the need to show he can still hack it at 35, the Chelsea captain desperately needs a good two months to finish the campaign in style.
From the moment he was substituted at half-time against Manchester City in just the second league game of the season, we knew this wasn't going to be any ordinary campaign for Terry.
From playing every minute of Chelsea's title-winning campaign in 2014/15, the impression was that his powers were waning. The message from former manager Jose Mourinho that day was, despite being in dire straits, Chelsea could make do without their captain.
In years gone by, that would be unheard of. For the past decade and more, Terry has been the heartbeat and soul of this team. Not anymore it seems.
More recently when Terry was out for the best of a month with a hamstring injury, some of Chelsea's performances suggested that. Others were taking on responsibility and proving the match-winner the former England international has been famous for.
When Terry does leave, it's going to create a huge vacuum at the heart of Chelsea's defence. Perhaps more significantly, the club will be missing a big figure in the dressing room, too.
Time is running out for the veteran defender, and the fact he is still to be offered a contract extension beyond this season is proof enough that the Chelsea hierarchy have already made that judgement.
Terry's task now is to prove them wrong. He must show he is worth another year at Stamford Bridge by turning back the clock to marshal the Chelsea back line like the Terry of old. He needs to show his leadership qualities and carry this team over the line for what has been a catastrophic season.
Even that might not be enough, yet with a new manager coming in, nobody is sure what to expect with transfers in and out of Stamford Bridge.
All Terry can do is try to ensure he's part of the conversation, and that starts with Saturday's trip to Aston Villa.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.
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