Chelsea have dropped four hints in total about players and things to expect for the Bues' opening Premier League fixture of the season at Goodison Park vs Everton.
Arsenal, unlike last season, won the first match of 2022/23 with their controlling 2-0 victory on away soil against Patrick Vieira's Crystal Palace. With Liverpool, Man City, Spurs and Man United facing favourable fixtures on the opening weekend, the pressure is already on for Chelsea to keep pace at the top right from the off.
They face an Everton side that many are tipping for relegation struggles this season as the Toffees still haven't signed an out-and-out replacement for Richarlison. But as manager Thomas Tuchel knows, a trip to Merseyside is never easy at any point of the season as evidenced by the 1-0 success Frank Lampard's men picked up at the back end of last season.
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"We played very late last season in Everton but we lost," Tuchel reflected in his pre-match press conference. "We remember very well. We need nothing more to know what is coming. Fantastic atmosphere, very emotional crowd, very emotional team. Of course, we know some familiar faces on the other side of the bench.
"The bench is not so far away in Everton. And still, we have nothing but respect for Frank and his staff. A lot of people with Chelsea history, it was very respectful between the two benches and it will be but at the same time will be very competitive. Was a very late game in the season and we lost it and absolutely do not like to lose. We even dislike it more to lose twice, so we know what is coming and we will be ready."
As to whom Tuchel picks in this opening affair remains to be seen. Both Marc Cucurella and Carney Chukwuemeka signed in time to at least make the squad. Whether either of them make their Blues debuts on the weekend remains to be seen.
But someone who is highly likely to pick up their debut as a Chelsea player this Saturday is Raheem Sterling. This is because alongside first-team regulars Mason Mount and Reece James, the 27-year-old features prominently on Chelsea's pre-match graphic that they have posted on their social media channels.
"Surprised is not the right word. There were rumours and signs it could be possible," Tuchel said on signing Sterling in his press conference.
"Any player with a one-year contract you can try. Very soon we had the feeling it was clear he would be a perfect fit for us in this stage of his career.
"He gave us the feeling he would be absolutely happy to make this step and step up into a new chapter, a new club, and take even more responsibility in this stage of his career so once we had this feeling and feedback, we tried and succeeded which was for us very important.
"He is one of our offensive players. If we play in the same structure it will be very fluid. It can be Kai (Havertz), it can be him, it can be Timo Werner, also Armando Broja who is now in the squad. And that gives us different profiles, different type of playing.
"Liverpool and City showed it is possible to be very successful with a fluid type of offensive player in the nine position. We go from there.”
Interestingly, on the pre-match graphic itself, it has the three players in the new away jersey that was revealed during the Cucurella announcement. Will that be making its first outing on the Saturday Night Football?
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