Liam Rosenior says he will continue to use time on the Cobham training pitches to 'adapt and evolve' his Chelsea side, but the Blues head coach insists that will never come at 'the expense of winning' during the season run-in.
With an eight-day gap between our FA Cup quarter-final triumph over Port Vale and the visit of Manchester City in the Premier League this Sunday, Rosenior has been able to enjoy quality time with his players at our Surrey base.
That is in stark contrast to his first three months in charge of the Blues, which saw the Blues play 20 matches across four different competitions. The routine was pre-game preparation, match-day, recovery work, and then to do it all over again.
'This week is the first since I've been here that we've had two clear training days in a row to work on things,' our head coach explained when facing the media ahead of the visit of Man City this weekend.
'I don't think a magician can make a team look exactly how we want to in the time that I've been at the club. I want to adapt and evolve the team, but never at the expense of winning in the short term.
'You can't change too much too soon. That is something I looked at with the staff during international break, so that we don't change too many things and can win games in the short term, but also still work towards what we want in the long term.'
After back-to-back, disappointing Premier League defeats to Newcastle United and Everton, the Blues are looking to get back on track in the top flight this weekend and claim another three important points in our bid to secure Champions League football for next season.
For Rosenior, each game presents an opportunity to learn more about the squad he took charge of at the start of the year, while free weeks between fixtures will enable him to further work on his tactical principles with the squad.
He said: 'Obviously, I watched all of the games [before taking charge] and you then try and make evaluations as you're in [the building] because you get to know the players better.
'For me, it's about making sure we use the time the best that we possibly can. I know where I want my team to get to, and I know what I want the team to look like. That may take time, but it cannot be at the expense of winning games and fulfilling our short-term objectives.'