Chelsea’s long break shines light on the preseason excuse

By the time Chelsea plays Arsenal, it will have been two weeks since they last played. This long break shines light on the common preseason excuse.

There are two sides to the preseason comment: if and when. If Maurizio Sarri had a full preseason with Chelsea this season, they would have done much better. When Sarri has a full preseason with Chelsea next season, they will do much better. Of course, Sarri had nearly the entire preseason this season. Those few days of fitness tests under Antonio Conte would have made no difference to the season as a whole.

A better argument, yet one under used, would be the amount of World Cup players gone until late. But that is a problem every top side faced so the effects are also lessened. And an even better argument than that would be the European commitments made implementing new tactics more difficult (an overblown argument when it comes to winning the league but a relevant one for the rest).

But for the first time, Sarri will now have had 14 days between matches and even more between competitive matches to prepare for the Europa League final. Even counting the days off and in travel, this will have been the longest Sarri has had the whole side together to prepare on and off the pitch. Given that this break is longer than whatever Sarri missed in preseason, the excuse that those handful of days mattered will have a light shown on it.

Chelsea will be without Callum Hudson-Odoi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Antonio Rudiger, and now it seems, N’Golo Kante. Even a conservative estimate has that at three starters out of the starting XI. That hurts no matter how much planning and preparation Sarri will have had in the buildup to the final.

Sarri will also have three matches versus Arsenal to look back on. The preseason friendly will be the least useful. The early season victory against Arsenal will also offer little information (though Arsenal was the first team to show how exposed the fullbacks were and how easy it was to exploit the zones). The January loss will be the most telling and one Sarri should have had heavy analysis done on to find solutions.

Overall, Sarri will have had the prep time on and off the pitch. It may only be days, but the preseason excuse has always been about a handful of days leading to a big improvement. If Chelsea comes out roaring, then perhaps the preseason argument has some weight to it. If the Blues come out as they have been recently, limp and languid, then the preseason excuse should be put even deeper into the ground than it already has been.

With such a long break between matches for both sides, the result will rely on the proper planning and preparation. Supporters of Sarri believe he can squeeze a lot out of just a few days. How Chelsea performs in the final will prove whether that was right or wrong.