Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois trying to inject confidence ahead of campaign
Thibaut Courtois is trying to inject some confidence into a lacklustre pre-season as Chelsea edge ever closer to the start of their Premier League title defence.
Despite winning the Premier League at a canter last season, Chelsea fans are far from brimming with confidence. With the new season under two weeks away, Blues fans are sweating over their team and dreading a repeat of that Jose Mourinho campaign. Thibaut Courtois, though, insists that they will be ready when the time comes.
"Against Bayern it was a bit frustrating, I was a bit annoyed because I felt I could have done better with Rafinha’s goal but I’ve been working hard in training all week so for me personally it was good and I feel I’m ready for the season…We will all be ready for the season though. – via Evening Standard"
Courtois is probably the only person in the Chelsea world who feels like that. The players may be ready in terms of physical condition, but the balance of the squad is skewed towards the thin side.
The wingback area is of particular concern. Worryingly, Blues officials appear to be doing very little to add depth. The club have been reportedly on the tails of Danilo and Alex Sandro over the summer. The former actually snubbed Chelsea in lieu of Manchester City while a deal for the latter looks unlikely.
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Rumours surrounding wingbacks have given way in recent days to pursuits of Renato Sanches and, now, Danny Drinkwater.
Danny Drinkwater.
Chelsea fans have every right to feel uneasy about the impending campaign. After a disappointing pre-season tour of Asia, fears about a repeat of the disastrous 2015/16 campaign are growing.
The apparent lack of urgency in the boardroom has resulted in numerous failures in the transfer market. These failures, coupled with poor performances, have led to a visibly frustrated Antonio Conte.
Comments like this from Courtois have also been few and far between. No-one in the Blues set-up has tried to quell concerns by promoting internal confidence. Hence, this will do little to cheer up worried fans.
Chelsea also face a tough opening stretch of games. Matches against Tottenham, Everton and Arsenal feature in the opening five Premier League gameweeks. Freak injuries or poor form could see the Blues stumble out of the starting blocks and immediately fall behind their rivals.
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Courtois’ confidence will be no substitute for the lack of depth in Chelsea’s squad. Blues management must act quickly to give Conte the appropriate breadth of tools he needs to succeed in a hectic season.