Chelsea FC’s pre-season preparations are well underway. Having flown out to Montreal on Wednesday they have undertaken double training sessions in order to get up to speed before their first friendly against New York Red Bulls on July 22nd.
RELATED: Chelsea FC’s US Pre-Season Schedule And Guide
Jose Mourinho’s choice of a travelling squad has raised some eyebrows, meanwhile, with the likes of Patrick Bamford not included even though he may have harboured hopes of a first-team role next season.
With this, let’s take a look at five players who will need to impress in the United States.
Next: Victor Moses
There has been much speculation over the future of Victor Moses so far this summer, with multiple clubs interested in securing his services on a permanent basis.
Moses has not yet featured under Jose Mourinho. He spent the 2013/14 campaign on loan at Liverpool but struggled to get playing time. Last season saw him at Stoke City, where he impressed to the point that Mark Hughes was eager to bring him back to The Britannia as part of the Asmir Begovic deal.
However, Mourinho apparently sees him as part of his plans for the coming season and the US tour will give the forward an opportunity to show that he is worth more than a bench-warming role.
Furthermore, with recent reports that Tottenham Hotspur are looking to sign him, this could also act as an audition to try and convince other interested clubs that he could be the player that they need.
It will be intriguing to see how much playing time Mourinho affords Moses during the three match trip.
Next: Juan Cuadrado
This is perhaps the most obvious one. Juan Cuadrado only joined the Blues in January and yet is rumoured to already be on his way out. It is believed that Mourinho sees him as expendable should the right offer be made (although this could well be the work of bored tabloid writers).
Cuadrado was given few opportunities on the field upon his arrival, but in the little playing time he had, he was appalling. He was so bad that many Chelsea fans do not want to see him anywhere near the first team come August.
However, it seems unlikely that Mourinho will want to offload an expensive player so early into his Stamford Bridge career. The Premier League is renowned to be one of the hardest competitions for foreign players to adapt to, and thus Cuadrado should be given time.
Having said this, anyone associated with the club will be expecting to see some much better performances from the Colombian, and will expect them to start coming now.
Sidenote: due to his participation in the Copa America, Cuadrado will join the squad next Wednesday and will likely only be available for the last two tour fixtures.
Next: Loic Remy
Loic Remy is in an interesting spot. The striker was 2nd choice behind Diego Costa last season and performed admirably in that role. He scored seven league goals despite only receiving six starts and if it wasn’t for bad luck causing his injuries to coincide with those of Costa, the proceeding debate may not have been necessary.
The Blues have already signed Radamel Falcao on loan. The Colombian is expected to take over the 2nd choice striker role but his shocking form last season does open the door for Remy. The Frenchman may see this pre-season as an opportunity to force his way in front of Falcao in the pecking order and thus secure some more game time.
With Patrick Bamford not travelling, it is expected that he will be shipped off for the year so Remy’s only competition at the moment is Falcao.
Remy is also heavily linked with a move away, with Crystal Palace the latest club to be reportedly interested. A good pre-season may even widen his options and make it a win-win situation. The first scenario is that he plays second fiddle to Costa, which could see him receive a lot of playing time given Costa’s constant injury issues. The second scenario is that he looks more valuable and more high-profile clubs come in for him.
Whatever way this turns out, Remy is certainly one to look out for.
Next: Kurt Zouma
Now it’s to the youngsters. Kurt Zouma seems to be Jose Mourinho’s favourite youth prospect at the moment, and has received much praise from the boss. With the season just around the corner, Zouma will look to use these friendlies as an opportunity to prove that he is ready for even more first team football.
The French defender was slowly bled into the first team last season, making his debut in September and going on to appear 26 times in all competitions. While he is evidently being nurtured for a long Stamford Bridge career, he may be able to force his development forward with a string of good performances stateside.
This seems even more plausible given the current lack of depth in defence. Gary Cahill and John Terry are the starting centre-backs. While this is solid enough, the latter is inching closer to retirement and the former will turn 30 later this year. The only other feasible back-up is Branislav Ivanovic, who is often used as a full-back anyway.
Terry, realistically, won’t be able to play all 38 league games again this season and thus regular cover will be needed. Zouma should use this pre-season to show that Mourinho doesn’t need to bring in high-profile players such as John Stones, because he is ready to step right in to the first team seamlessly.
I, for one, would certainly like to see this happen.
Next: Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Ruben Loftus-Cheek will be eager to perform for the boss. The 19-year-old, like Zouma, was bled into the team last season but he faces much more competition in his midfield role.
Cesc Fabregas and Nemanja Matic currently start in the centre, with Ramires and John Obi Mikel providing experienced cover. While Mikel may be on his way out of Stamford Bridge, RLC will still need to prove his worth to Mourinho in order to see regular playing time next season, and avoid being loaned out.
Furthermore, Chelsea have been linked with a slew of midfielders as it is widely recognised as an area of the field that the Blues need to strengthen. With the expensive world-class talent that Chelsea are rumoured to be interested in, their arrival will only see Loftus-Cheek slide further and further down the pecking order should he not impress.
Showing his worth may be harder for him than any other player too. Following Chelsea’s 1-0 victory over Sydney FC in a post-season friendly, Mourinho blasted the youngster for not giving enough for the team.
‘So, with Ruben, it’s one step back in terms of my relationship with him. If he doesn’t know what it is to play for me and Chelsea it’s one step back.
‘He has to learn that at 19 you have to run three times more than the others, you have to play to your limits and not play like a superstar with the ball at your feet because this is not Under-18s.’
Ouch.
Having said that, should he show that he has taken Mourinho’s words on board, the ability to learn from his mistakes and heed advice may make him even more attractive in the boss’s eyes than he initially could have been.
Well, I’ve had my say so now it’s your turn. Who will you be keeping an eye on during the pre-season? What will you be looking for? Get involved and sound off in the comments below!
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