Thomas Tuchel’s comments after Chelsea’s 4-0 defeat to Arsenal at the weekend were damning. The German had just seen his side be completely outplayed by their London rivals in Orlando and he was asked whether his team were ready for the Premier League season, that gets underway next weekend.
“I can not guarantee,” Tuchel replied when asked if his team would be ready for their clash with Everton on August 6. “I saw today a team in Arsenal who are mentally committed to an idea of playing, a level of exhaustion, a level of physical commitment that we could not match.
“Also, a level of mental commitment that we lacked because we have a lot of players who are thinking about leaving and looking at their options. We have players that have left and I think at the moment that is obvious.”
There’s one more pre-season friendly for Chelsea to play. The Blues take on Udinese in Italy on Friday evening, in a game where Tuchel could name what is considered close to the side that will face Everton next weekend.
It’s been a while since Tuchel has had to name a 20-man squad for a match. For Premier League matches, teams are required to name a 20-man squad list, with up to nine substitutes available to use from the bench. There’s also the additional factor that five substitutes are allowed now.
Between now and the start of the 2022/23 season, there could still be plenty of business conducted by Chelsea – in terms of incomings and outgoings. Tuchel is still desperate to bring in another defender, or two, this summer.
Wesley Fofana of Leicester City has been identified as a key target, but the Foxes are determined not to sell the 21-year-old Frenchman. Leicester tied Fofana down to a new contract back in March, meaning they are under no immediate pressure to sell the talented defender.
As well as the search for new players, Chelsea will be determined to offload some unwanted members of the squad. The likes of Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso and Timo Werner – to name a few – have all been linked with departures from Stamford Bridge this window.
Barcelona are interested in Azpilicueta and Alonso, who both have less than 12 months remaining on their contracts. Meanwhile, Juventus have expressed an interest in ending Werner’s nightmare at Chelsea in recent days.
There are still some players, such as Billy Gilmour and Levi Colwill, who have been linked with possible loan moves away from the Blues. football.london has done its best to try and predict the 20-man squad Tuchel will choose for Chelsea’s trip to Goodison Park next weekend. This is, of course, subject to change because of transfer activity.
What the Chelsea matchday squad could look like vs Everton on the opening weekend of 22/23 Premier League season:
Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy, Kepa Arrizabalaga
Defenders: Marcos Alonso, Thiago Silva, Trevoh Chalobah, Kalidou Koulibaly, Cesar Azpilicueta, Ben Chilwell, Reece James
Midfielders: Jorginho, N’Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount, Conor Gallagher
Forwards: Christian Pulisic, Raheem Sterling, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, Callum Hudson-Odoi
What this means
This way, the ones that miss out (as per Chelsea’s official website) are: Marcus Bettinelli, Ethan Ampadu, Malang Sarr, Emerson Palmieri, Baba Rahman, Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Billy Gimour, Kenedy, Michy Batshuayi and Armando Broja.
Bettinelli is unlikely to get in the squad as managers usually only choose two goalkeepers. Ampadu, despite impressing in pre-season, could also be left at home. Likewise, there might not be enough room in the squad for Sarr. Emerson and Rahman don’t appear to be part of the plans at Stamford Bridge.
Barkley is an interesting one, but a place in the squad may be beyond his reach. Likewise with Gilmour, who was sent to the development squad after training with the senior side in the United States. Kenedy and Batshuayi both don’t appear to be part of Tuchel’s vision.
Loftus-Cheek also could miss out. The midfielder hasn’t had much of a pre-season due to his vaccination status not allowing him to travel to America. On the other hand, Gallagher did travel to the States and could get the nod.
Broja has struggled with injury problems throughout pre-season, and speculation over his future has also been a distraction. He could be left out of the squad to take on Everton next week.
