The Chelsea squad enjoyed a three-day break but are now back at the team's Surrey training base in Cobham ahead of their must-win Carabao Cup semi-final second leg against Championship side Middlesbrough.
Pochettino knows the game against Boro is season-defining and he highlighted the importance of giving the players time off before they returned for the crunch tie at Stamford Bridge. They signed off for the break with a 1-0 win over Fulham in the league and have now jumped into the top half of the table.
Things are beginning to look up for Pochettino whose team have made it to the fourth round of the FA Cup, still in with a chance to reach the final of the League Cup and can still finish in a European spot.
A massive improvement to the football and results they had last season when they finished 12th in the end and needed a complete rebuild to inject pace, energy and a new hunger into the squad. There have been challenges along the way, with captain Reece James and his assistant Ben Chilwell battling long-term injuries. Chilwell has only just returned to the squad after months out.
Home defeats to Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and Brentford have rocked the boat but performances against the top sides have shown that the team is looking up and determined to return the club to their previous high grounds.
They will have to start on Tuesday night and Pochettino will be hoping to recover players for that. So here is the complete list of their injured players and their potential return dates.
1. Romeo Lavia
Injured in his only game he's played for the club. He's not been seen in training.
2. Trevoh Chalobah
Battling a hamstring injury he picked up in pre-season. He's now declared himself fit already. Back to first team training now.
3. Wesley Fofana
Unlucky to pick up an ACL injury at Cobham and not expected back fully this season.
4. Reece James
Has taken surgery and expected to be out for three months. Could be more depending on rehab.