5 Areas Jose Mourinho Needs to Target at Chelsea During the International Break

For some it's an arduous time—the international break is here and club football is shelved for the next two weeks while countries across the globe look to negotiate safe passage to Brazil 2014 or, for those already qualified, kick-start their preparations.Club training pitches can resemble a barren landscape, with many stars off jet-setting with their countries. Jose Mourinho, for one, is a manger who is not overly fond of the midseason break given over half his squad are now unavailable.

"I didn't like the period," he said last month, referring to the October international break, as per the Daily Mail. "Four players to train. For the kids it is nice. But from the team perspective it is bad.
"You are playing well, you win some matches consecutively, you want to win again but the players disappear. They go to China, they go to Africa, they play important matches for qualification.
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Mourinho makes a valid point from his perspective. Although Chelsea defeated Cardiff City after the previous break, in September they lost out to Everton and Basel in the aftermath of the international window.

The Portuguese will be relieved he has until February before the next round of matches comes around. Although, while his players are away, there is much to work on at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea currently sit four points behind league leaders Arsenal and their form of late hasn't been convincing.

After winning every game in October, they are without a Premier League victory in November and need a return to winning ways to get them back on track when they travel to Upton Park to face West Ham United on Nov. 23.
I look at some key areas Mourinho can target over the next fortnight.