Chelsea finished 3rd in the Premier League last season due to poor performances from Spurs, Arsenal and Manchester United rather than necessarily anything good from their point of view. However, during the summer they have a transfer ban and so are unable to make major signings.
However, Kovakic was brought in due to an agreement in his loan deal and Pulisic arrived having been purchased in January. This is because of the departure of Eden Hazard, Chelsea’s star man, so it will be interesting to see how Chelsea can manage without him and an out and out match winner in their line-up.
The summer also saw the departure of Sarri due to relationship problems with them fans even after a Cup final, Europa League victory and 3rd place in the league. One thing is for certain at Chelsea, no one really knows what will happen!
Pre-Season Form
Chelsea 1-1 Bohemains – This match contained a very young line up with only Azpilicueta, Pedro, Batshuayi and Zouma the only potential starting XI players to get minutes. The goal was scored by Batshuayi, whilst Chelsea controlled this game throughout. As has been seen in previous year they failed to find the back of the net and an 89th minute goal left them no time to find a winner.
Chelsea 4-0 St Patricks Athletic – A much more complete line up was used here from the first match. Goals were scored by Mount, Emerson and Giroud (2). Chelsea lined up here with 2 strikers for the first half in Batshuayi and Abraham, who impressed manager Lampard, but this system is yet to be seen again in pre-season. After this game Lampard highlighted the importance of energy and adaptability which could significantly help Chelsea after they were left unpredictable under Sarri.
Chelsea 0-1 Kawasaki Frontale – A strong line-up again from Chelsea here but a poor display generally. Although Barkley continued to shine, a goal was conceded due to a mistake from Luiz, which might not be surprising to many of you. Pulisic looked good enough on his debut and Giroud forced some good saves out of the keeper but was unable to find the back of the net.
Chelsea 2-1 Barcelona – Goals from Abraham and Barkley. Chelsea defended well against a reasonable Barcelona side. Barcelona dominated early on, but Chelsea defended well and took their goals against the run of play and only conceded due to a long range effort from Rakitic. Kepa showed his talent several times throughout this match showing why his price tag was so high. Barkley was awarded MOTM for another strong performance.
Overall, it has been a fairly mixed pre-season but this can be expected with several new arrivals (players returning from loan and Pulisic) and a new manager. Chelsea have defended well in pre-season and only conceded due to wonder strikers or the occasional lapse of concentration. Barkley has been the stand out performer so far. Azpilicueta looks set to continue as captain and at right back although some fear he may not have the pace anymore.
Star Man – Christian Pulisic (£7.5m)
Pulisic moved to Chelsea in January for a fee of just under £60 million, but was loaned back to Dortmund for the rest of the season. In 20 matches he returned 4 goals and 4 assists, but did only start 7 matches. He will need to be one of Chelsea’s main attacking threats and fans will hope that he hits the ground running. He will be absolutely nailed on in the Chelsea line-up so no need to worry about rotation
Hidden Gem – Emerson (£5.5m)
At just £5.m5 it is likely that Emerson will be starting at left back for Chelsea this season. Chelsea will most likely be decent defensively as always and so clean sheets will be likely. In Lampard’s Derby last season (who set up the same as Chelsea will do) their left backs Cole and Malone got 2 goals 4 assists in 36 matches, one every 6 matches so there is a possibility for attacking returns also.
Gamble Pick – Jorginho (£5.0m)
In the 2018/19 season he picked up just two goals and no assists as Chelsea and football fans where split on his ability and position in the Sarri system. However, he has been very impressive in pre-season and will occupy a similar role to where Cesc Fabregas used to play or where Xhaka plays for Arsenal. Combined with this he will likely be on penalties with Hazard leaving, so there is much more chance of attacking returns.
Predicted line-up
Kepa
Emerson – Luiz – Christensen – Azpilicueta
Kante – Jorginho
Barkley
Pulisic – Giroud/Batshuayi – Pedro
Notes – Loftus-Cheek may replace Barkley when fit, Hudson-Odoi could replace Pedro when fit and Rudiger could replace Christensen when fit.
Written by FPL TIPZ (@FPLTIPZ)
