Mauricio Pochettino will not be able to give his Chelsea players any time off to celebrate booking their place in the EFL Cup final last night.
The Blues went into last night under pressure after their 1-0 first leg loss against Middlesbrough a few weeks ago.
Cole Palmer in particular had a lot of wrongs to put right after missing a hatful of chances at the Riverside while playing in the false nine role.
However, he went about that the right way by scoring two of the goals in the 6-1 demolition at Stamford Bridge last night.
Fortunately for Pochettino, the Blues got the job done early enough that a number of first team players could be substituted off, and replaced by those who did not make the starting side.
One player who was brought on in the second half was Alfie Gilchrist, who has found himself to be a regular off the bench in recent weeks for the first team.
Gilchrist should start vs Villa
He has normally come on with the intention of seeing out a lead late on. In fact, last night was the first time the club had conceded a goal when he was out there.
He made his first start for the club in the FA Cup earlier this month in the comfortable win over Preston in the third round.
Now, the upcoming match against Aston Villa provides a superb opportunity for him to show what he can do when given the opportunity.
They will be back on that Stamford Bridge pitch just 72 hours after booking their place at Wembley in the EFL Cup, and rotation will be key for a side who have already been affected badly by injuries this season.
Given the fact that both Reece James and Malo Gusto are currently on the sidelines, Gilchrist could see his chance to feature on the right of defence again.
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