Paris Saint-Germain ended their competitive calendar for 2015 in style last Saturday, beating SM Caen 3-0 at Stade Michel d’Ornano. Since that victory over Patrice Garande’s men, every member of the French champions’ squad has been on holiday.

Speaking after the win over Caen, Les Parisiens coach Laurent Blanc revealed how hectic his team’s schedule was in the buildup to the last Ligue 1 fixture of the calendar year. The 50-year-old also admitted the winter break has arrived at the right time for his players.

The context was a little special as the players are on holiday as of now, so there were a lot of preparations for the game but also for travelling. You might have thought Paris would not have their minds on the game, but from the opening five minutes, we were reassured about this. What I’m interested in is having 51 points after having had 11 away games and eight at home. Trust me, we need a break. That was our ninth game in 27 days. Yes, we have a big squad, a quality squad, but you still have to play the matches.

Now that Ligue 1 is inactive for a few weeks, PSG will not be back in Le Championnat action until the opening round of games in 2016. SC Bastia will be the visitors to Parc des Princes for that first match of the new year at the end of the first week of January.

Between the win away at Caen and the reception of the Corsicans in Paris, the French capital outfit have a four-day training camp in Qatar. The short stay in Doha is known as the Qatar Winter Tour (QWT), and Blanc‘s men will face Inter Milan in a friendly.

After that clash with the Italians, PSG will be in Coupe de France round-of-64 action away at ES Wasquehal before Bastia arrive in Paris five days later.

Speaking to the capital club’s official website ahead of the QWT, Blanc expressed his hope that the time spent together in Doha will strengthen his team’s collective spirit and give the players some intensive tests.

I want the team to bond even more, although they know each other quite well already. It actually is part of our strength. We only made small changes to the squad, but we want the new players to adapt even more. We want to continue the progress we began four years ago. We will also have fantastic working conditions, with amazing weather, as Qatar is the perfect place for this. The tour will be short, but I am hoping to see some intensive work, and the players will be very busy with the sponsorship activation and the media presence.

For the second half of the season, PSG‘s immediate focus will be on preparing themselves thoroughly for the UEFA Champions League doubleheader with Chelsea in February and March and then any potential continental fixtures that follow on from that.

In preparing for the encounter with Guus Hiddink‘s men, the Ligue 1 leaders already have a significant advantage over the English Premier League outfit.

While PSG are enjoying a relatively light Christmas and New Year’s schedule, with just four games in the month following the win over Caen, the Blues will be experiencing a gruelling run of six fixtures in 21 days before normal service resumes in mid-January.

The intensity of that run of games could be detrimental to Chelsea’s chances of ousting the in-form PSG over two legs in the round of 16 and progressing further, while the relative calmness the French giants will enjoy should keep more of their players fresh.

Les Parisiens‘ Europe-based stars will be in Doha for the duration of the four-day training camp. However, their sizeable South American contingent will only join up with their team-mates more than halfway through their sojourn in Qatar.

That extended break for the likes of captain Thiago Silva, Angel Di Maria, David Luiz, Edinson Cavani, Maxwell, Javier Pastore, Lucas Moura, Marquinhos and Ezequiel Lavezzi should leave them all feeling reinvigorated.

It should also ensure there is no repeat of the farce that saw Cavani and Lavezzi fail to report for duty on last year’s midseason tour of Morocco.

Keeping the likes of Silva and Di Maria fresh is of particular importance to Blanc and PSG‘s Champions League chances. Both players are enjoying excellent seasons, and ideally they will be in the same shape when Chelsea visit Parc des Princes in February and the return leg takes place in March.

Allowing the South Americans to enjoy the maximum amount of time with their families and eliminating the pressure created by travelling between different time zones will also keep the players in high spirits when they return to club duty.

Blanc played down the impact of the time-zone changes and also lauded the conditions in which he and his players will be working in Doha.

They are amazing. Everything, from sports to medical facilities, will be at our disposal. Another big advantage is the climate. It is the best possible weather to work with the squad and there is not such a big time difference between Qatar and Paris. We will avoid the usual endless plane journeys that you need in order to get this sort of weather. With such short tours, the time difference can be a problem, especially when you come back. But this won’t be the case for us.

The winter break with a small training camp in Doha also gives Blanc the chance to address a few lingering concerns he may have about his squad ahead of the business end of the season.

If Le President has issues with some of Kevin Trapp’s wobbly displays in goal or Cavani‘s ineffective performances in attack, the French tactician will have a chance to discuss them with the players during this time.

Equally as important—if not more—Blanc will also be able to work on solutions to some of his team’s minor issues, such as the inconsistency in attacking displays and notably the chemistry between Cavani, Di Maria and Zlatan Ibrahimovic when played as a front three.

In theory, this long winter break will hand PSG a considerable edge in the Champions League. Not only will the players get some real rest, but they will also be able to work on a few things over the break without being involved in exclusively competitive games.

In terms of preparing for an assault on the Champions League over the second half of the season, the French champions’ time off could prove decisive, and Chelsea will be envious of their bonding trip as they try to adapt to new coach Hiddink.

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