00:00Chelsea had just 10 players called up for their national team in this international break.
00:05That puts them 15th in the Premier League for number of players called up.
00:10They're level with Brighton, Everton and Aston Villa
00:13and have less than the likes of Crystal Palace, Sunderland, Brentford and Leeds.
00:18Now, there are some caveats here.
00:20Rhys James and Estevão are injured and would certainly have been called up if fit.
00:25Colwell, Schalbert and Jorgensen are on the periphery of their own squad whilst fit,
00:28but even including three of these, hypothetically,
00:31they're still on a level playing field with Fulham, Leeds and Brentford
00:34when it comes to fully-fledged internationals.
00:36It's a damning statistic for the world champions.
00:39Chelsea's squad building has been the talk of the town for years,
00:42but last summer suggested that the Blues' approach was beginning to pay dividends.
00:46Impressive displays in big games, Champions League qualification
00:50and high hopes going into this season had us thinking that maybe the future is now.
00:56But they have failed to take the next step.
00:58The next six months are absolutely enormous for Chelsea.
01:02They undoubtedly have some world-class players,
01:05but the likes of Parma and Caicedo will not stick around forever
01:09if Chelsea do not match their ambition.
01:12These are players who deserve to play with the best in the world,
01:15not with a team of players who can't even make their own national squads.
01:19Chelsea are a club with a ruthless winning history.
01:22That is phasing with every passing week.
01:25When Crystal Palace have six more internationals in their squad than Chelsea,
01:30you know something isn't right in West London.
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