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Chelsea vs Tottenham: Three things to look for in Mind Series’ conclusion

By Gabe Henderson

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 15: Callum Hudson-Odoi of Chelsea during The Emirates FA Cup Final match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium on May 15, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 15: Callum Hudson-Odoi of Chelsea during The Emirates FA Cup Final match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium on May 15, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 15: Callum Hudson-Odoi of Chelsea during The Emirates FA Cup Final match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium on May 15, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – MAY 15: Callum Hudson-Odoi of Chelsea during The Emirates FA Cup Final match between Chelsea and Leicester City at Wembley Stadium on May 15, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by Marc Atkins/Getty Images) /

2. First team minutes

Scoreline be damned, preseason is all about getting players back to match fitness and assessing who is fit to spend the season with the first team. Of course, beating Arsenal is always a welcome accomplishment, but it means absolutely nothing in The Mind Series. The 2-1 win on Sunday was not the talking point. Rather, it was the performances of each player and how Tuchel divvied up the minutes that got all of the attention. The same will be said for Spurs in about 24 hours’ time.

Trevoh Chalobah was the individual who got the most playing time at The Emirates. He put in a solid shift (86 minutes) as the Blues’ most central defender in a back three. The fact he was given such an extensive run out shows that Tuchel is assessing him, perhaps more than anybody else. It’s storylines like Chalobah’s that are ones to watch against Spurs. Other notable players who fans will be keeping an eye on are individuals such as Ross Barkley, Michy Batshuayi, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Malang Sarr and Dujon Sterling. Each of these individuals is trying to impress Tuchel in Chelsea’s preseason finale. Loan decisions and sales will be made soon given the fact the Super Cup is in one week. The deadline also slams shut in less than a month.

Obviously, not everyone is going to get a chance to hang around. Tuchel loves to have a big squad at his disposal for rotation, this preseason side is too big though. The aforementioned players will need to put in lengthy shifts and have standout performances in order to woo the gaffer. Problems begin to arise when one considers the circumstance. As mentioned previously, this is the final preseason tune-up ahead of the showdown with Villarreal. Tuchel will want to have his first team unit in sync with each other seeing as a trophy is on the line on August 11. Therefore, how he juggles fringe evaluations and player fitness is something to watch against Spurs.

Do not expect to see any of the English or Italian internationals for more than a small cameo—if at all. The group’s just returned on Monday from their international breaks, but it’ll be nice to see players like Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen more involved.

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