From a complex coaching situation to star players refusing to sign new contracts and expressing their desire to leave the club, Chelsea’s pre-season has been anything but typical.
Chelsea rushing through pre-season
Chelsea’s 2017/18 season ended on 19th May with an FA Cup win over Manchester United. It put a sweet taste to a sour season for Antonio Conte, whose future with the club at that point looked bleak at best. 13th July was the day he was officially sacked and 14th July was the day Maurizio Sarri was announced as the new manager. Disagreements between coaches and clubs dragged the negotiations for two months, leaving everybody unhappy. Conte is about to sue Chelsea for the delayed sacking, while Sarri doesn’t even have time to get to know the squad, let alone prepare it for the new season.
Maurizio Sarri Perth Glory press conference
The game against Perth Glory in Australia was The Blues’ first run out in what will be a very busy next few weeks. Sevilla, Inter, Arsenal, Manchester City (Community Shield) and Lyon are all part of their upcoming schedule. The first of those games is tomorrow. Considering the flight from Australia to Europe is long and tiresome, Sarri had to rush through his post-match press conference as he had a plane to catch in two-hours time. In the five minutes, he was available to the press, he managed to answer a few questions about his team’s performance, as well as the future of his star trio (Hazard, Courtois, Willian).
“I think something was good, especially in the first half, less in the second half. We lost the distance between defenders and midfielders, but we knew that we have to work, we have to go back to Cobham and work very hard and we know that we have to improve very quickly.”
“I don’t know, it depends on the club. It is clear from me that it is a pleasure to have Courtois, to have Willian, to have Hazard. But it doesn’t depend on me. So we have to wait. I am confident.”
Who's Sarri now? Chelsea boss puts on SEVEN training sessions in Perth to drill attacking tactics into new players https://t.co/cOWjbfcquZ pic.twitter.com/X7QJtQVkh5
— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) July 20, 2018
While Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen are due back this week, Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Willian aren’t expected to join their teammates until the calendar turns to August. It means Sarri will have to make do with who he’s got. He’ll have to teach the new tactical scheme to the players he has available and then improvise as new ones come along.
