Chelsea began their marathon pre-season tour of the USA with a 2-2 draw against League One side Wrexham.
Across the next 11 days, Enzo Maresca’s side will play four more matches across four different states, travelling from coast to coast.
Celtic, fresh from beating Manchester City, are their next opponents on Saturday, before matches against Club America, Man City and Real Madrid.
There is huge expectation on Maresca to make the most of Chelsea’s £1.2bn squad, with this summer considered the fourth and final window of the rebuild under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s ownership.
So here are five problems he should use this summer to work out ahead of the first game of the Premier League season – against City at Stamford Bridge on 18 August.
Who should start at centre-back?
Perhaps Chelsea’s most obviously complete and varied group in any position, settling on a starting central defensive pairing is going to be one of Maresca’s most difficult and crucial choices.
Axel Disasi, Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, Josh Acheampong, Levi Colwill and Benoit Badiashile have all travelled to the US, with Trevoh Chalobah left behind as the club attempt to force him into a move away.
A lack of consistency at centre-back was one of Mauricio Pochettino’s biggest defensive failings last season, with injuries and underperformance leading to constant changes.
One of the major factors in this decision will be how well Fofana has recovered from the ACL injury which ruled him out for almost a year – he has not played competitively since the final day of the 2022-23 season.
Signed for £70m, Fofana may well be Chelsea’s most talented centre-back on the basis of his performances at Leicester, but recovering pyschologically from an injury of that magnitude will take time.
Another massive boost to Chelsea’s defensive prospects is Romeo Lavia’s return to full fitness, with the 20-year-old set to sit in front of the defensive line and hopefully provide more protection than they were afforded last season.
Where does Christopher Nkunku fit in?
Some of Christopher Nkunku’s best Chelsea moments have come in pre-season games – it’s now a matter of staying fit into the season proper and maintaining the level of performance.
The Frenchman scored the opener against Wrexham, adding to his three goals in pre-season in 2023 – as many goals as he scored for Chelsea all last season.
But assuming he stays fit, Maresca has a major choice to make about where he fits in best, with striker and left-wing the most likely options.
A lot of this is likely to depend on whether the Italian trusts Nicolas Jackson, Raheem Sterling or Mykhailo Mudryk more to start consistently.
Maresca has said he sees Nkunku’s versatility as a massive plus and that he doesn’t believe moving players round the pitch is an issue – he views it as a key trait for his squad.
“He can play everywhere,” Maresca said.
“He’s one of the players that in these two weeks [of pre-season] is doing very, very well.
“What we are going to try is to try to have players that they can play in different positions, that’s the way I see the football, and also that’s the way I like to work every day to try to improve players and help them not only play in one position, [but] that they can play in different positions.
“Also because sometimes many players say I can play as a winger and it’s for them it’s just there [in one position], but I don’t think if you move them five, 10 metres inside, that there are big changes.”
Do Chelsea need another left-back?
You do have to feel slightly sorry for Levi Colwill. Having spent most of last season out of position at left-back, he was given the No 6 shirt and told he would be playing at centre-back, only to then start on the left in the first game of pre-season.
Of course, in practice he was largely the left centre-back in a three as Reece James and Malo Gusto inverted so often as to largely become central midfielders.
But this does raise the issue of Chelsea’s left-sided problem – does Maresca currently have a left-back he can trust?
Ben Chilwell came off the bench against Wrexham but does not fit what a Guardiola disciple like Maresca looks for in a full-back, more inclined to push up the pitch and stretch play.
This may well push him towards the exit, leaving Marc Cucurella, new signing Renato Veiga and Colwill as the only players comfortable at left-back.
As Cucurella showed at Euro 2024, he is still an elite defender when used correctly, which Maresca is likely to do.
But this still leaves Chelsea short on options, meaning a new left-back should be high up their priority list.
What to do with Sterling and Mudryk
Given the personnel they have available, left-wing should not be a problem area for Chelsea, but there is no denying it has been.
Sterling and Mudryk are the two first-choice left-sided attackers, likely now joined by Nkunku, but both the former options are at crucial junctures in their careers.
At 29, Sterling risks wasting the last of his supposed prime years if he continues to underperform, even if his 10 goals last season is far better than his regular showings appeared to merit.
He should be one of Chelsea’s leading figures, probably the most senior figure in the dressing room by the end of the summer and a player who has had huge success under Guardiola, Maresca’s mentor and former boss.
Meanwhile, 23-year-old Mudryk appears in desperate need of instruction and direction, needing consistent performances and the right coaching to begin reaching his obvious potential.
How Maresca handles the pair will be crucial to how his attack functions, with the pair possessing the speed and technical ability to break down low blocks.
Is Enzo Fernandez going to be welcomed back?
Maresca appears confident that Enzo Fernandez will easily reintegrate into the Chelsea squad after chanting racist and transphobic slurs about members of the France squad, but it is unlikely to be that easy.
The former Leicester boss said: “It is quite easy in terms of the player doing a statement to apologise.
“The club did the same, so I don’t think there is something to add in terms of the situation. It is already clear and clarified.”
Yet considering Fofana has still not taken down the post in which he called Fernandez’s chant “uninhibited racism” and Chelsea have seven black or mixed-race French players in their ranks, tension may be difficult to resolve once the Argentine returns.
Given the number of key players involved in the row, Maresca’s ability to diffuse the situation while not excusing Fernandez’s behaviour could define his Chelsea career before it’s really begun.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/IbjiNfT
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