Chelsea has a good week to sort itself out for the new season

Since joining Chelsea, there has been almost no rest for Thomas Tuchel. He was immediately thrust into a situation where the club had a match every three or four days. Ideally, a match is followed by a day off and a recovery day before proper training resumes but Tuchel rarely had even that luxury.

Even this new season has started the same. Preseason has been marred by waves of players returning from the Euros and Copa America. The first match of the season, the Super Cup, came with just two days before the Premier League opener. Chelsea won both, but the tight schedule has made getting everything that needs doing done difficult.

Chelsea has to acknowledge a unicorn when they see one. A week between games is an absolute rarity and it will be a good time to get things done. This is a week to rest, train, and perhaps more importantly at this moment, finalize the squad.

Rest goes without saying. Chelsea won the Super Cup via penalties and there were concerns as to how well they’d handle Crystal Palace. The answer turned out to be “superbly” but it’s not a game the Blues will want to play much this season. With Arsenal looming, Tuchel will want his squad to be match fit in every way possible. That is why Chelsea is having another preseason friendly the day after Palace for players that still require match fitness.

Another important aspect of having a full week of training is it actually gives time to train. Chelsea looks solid tactically but Tuchel’s largely done that with a day here and there and a broken preseason. One week isn’t going to change everything but it will certainly help. It will also help to see Romelu Lukaku join training. No formation change should be expected at the moment, but the possibility is open now more than before.

But perhaps more than anything this week, Chelsea has time to get deals done. It seems odd that the board and scouts seem to slow when games are being played but it’s a reality of the game. Deals grind to a halt when matches are being played. Some of that is putting players in the shop window, some of it is opposition don’t want to lose players when games begin, and some of it is that goals change.

With Trevoh Chalobah, it might be safe to say that goal has changed. One of the loan army’s most experienced players, he was always going to have to fight for a chance at Chelsea. Throughout preseason and now in both of the club’s matches, he has been a standout performer. Talks of Jules Kounde have gone quiet in the rumor mill and some of that may be down to Chalobah earning his spot for this season.

Of course, Chelsea could still do with some incoming signings. As it stands, N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, and Mateo Kovacic will not be enough to get through the season with Kante having already missed a match. The Blues have make shift options as it stands, but they could also redirect Kounde money towards a midfielder that can contribute this year. There may be an eye on saving a spot for Billy Gilmour or Conor Gallagher down the road, but that should be less of a worry. Thomas Tuchel loves a midfield pivot but there is no guarantee he or the club uses one for every. If a switch to a three man midfield happens, the Blues will be very light as it stands.

Then there is the matter of all the outgoings that are frankly overdue. It was known in the Spring that Tammy Abraham would be leaving and he’s finally gotten his much deserved move to Roma. Others, like Danny Drinkwater and Tiemoue Bakayoko, remain. The friendly being played after Palace is a good time to put together a closed door showreel for those players and spend the week shopping them out.

There should also be some consideration for the current centerback situation. As things stand, Chelsea has Andreas Christensen, Thiago Silva, Cesar Azpilicueta, Trevoh Chalobah, Antonio Rudiger, and Kurt Zouma. Six centerbacks is plenty if there are minutes to go around, but if Chelsea opts to thread the needle by signing Kounde while keeping Chalobah, someone (most likely Zouma) will have to go. At the same time, Rudiger is on the last year of his contract. Though there are talks of an extension, it is extremely unlikely that Chelsea let’s this turn into a situation where Rudiger goes for free. That would mean things would have to happen quickly and this week may be the time for that ball to move in one direction or the other. At a minimum, Chelsea will need five centerbacks so long as back three is the plan.

And, if Chelsea fails to get everything done in this next week, they are in luck. There is another open week after Arsenal leading into Liverpool. The Blues will have a lot of time to get things done yet. It’s just a matter of getting a move on.