After two away defeats on the bounce, Chelsea have responded with emphatic victories at home to Atletico Madrid and Blackburn, scoring nine goals and conceding none in the process.   It was the response of perennial title challengers, but the driving force behind their revival in the shape of the club’s African contingent will be absent in January because of Cup of Nations and that period could be their biggest test this season.   It wasn’t a problem for them two years ago, as Chelsea picked up most points that were available despite the loss of their star players, although Didier Drogba and Michael Essien are even more crucial to their cause this time round.

The responsibility of guiding the team’s midfield through January will rest with ageing players such as Michael Ballack and Deco and the pair haven’t been able to keep up with the frenetic pace of late.

The German and Portuguese stars still offer an experienced presence in midfield but when two or three games come up in quick succession it will be interesting to see if they have the legs for it.

Frank Lampard can adapt regardless of the personnel alongside him and the Stamford Bridge outfit also have Joe Cole retuning to fitness after a long spell on the sidelines to boost their options.

However, if the opposition Chelsea face while the African Cup of Nations is on are as weak as Atletico and Blackburn were, then even a depleted side should still have enough to overcome them.

Two home games against Birmingham and Sunderland are sandwiched between trips to Hull and Burnley, and even though all games are winnable, Carlo Ancelotti’s preference would be an early exit for Ghana and Ivory Coast from the African tournament.

This would ensure Essien and Drogba are back in London, rested and ready for their showdown with Arsenal scheduled for 6^th February, almost a week after the Cup of Nations final is due to be played.

Nobody can deny the quality Chelsea have in other areas of the pitch but take two players of their quality away from any side and they would struggle to be as effective.

Of course, the transfer window could come to their rescue providing they are successful in their bid to have the transfer ban frozen. But January buys don’t always turn out well and the players Chelsea want to sign will have to be at least as good as those already at Stamford Bridge, and they are rarely available at that time of the season.

There’s plenty of fight and determination in this side and if they come through that testing period with their position in the League table intact, it will set them up nicely for a strong finish to the season.