It would be going too far to claim a pre-season friendly against Udinese is a must-win game for Chelsea. Yet there is little doubt tomorrow's trip to northern Italy is important for Thomas Tuchel and his players given the Premier League season is firmly on the horizon.
The Blues do not appear ready for the start of their league campaign, which comes against Everton at Goodison Park. Not only do several players – such as Cesar Azpilicueta, Marcos Alonso and Hakim Ziyech – want to depart Stamford Bridge for pastures new, but only two signings have been made thus far: Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling.
Add in disappointing performances against Charlotte FC and Arsenal and there is a feeling of concern with the Chelsea fanbase – Tuchel's strong reaction after a 4-0 defeat to the latter did little to reassure supporters that everything will be alright come Saturday, August 6.
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"I can't remember not winning two matches in a row in pre-season. I’m a huge fan of a strong pre-season in everything: atmosphere, feeling, performance, belief," the German said. "I am superstitious but not in a way that I say bad pre-season has to mean a bad season. That makes no sense to me. I am in it, a part of it, and need to find solutions."
Following their pre-season tour of the USA, Chelsea's players were back in the familiar and comforting environment of Cobham this week. The cooler weather was far more conducive to hard-running training sessions and there will be hope a stronger performance is produced against Udinese. And there are several players with points to prove against the Serie A side.
Kalidou Koulibaly
Having been signed from Napoli midway through Chelsea's pre-season tour, Koulibaly's only game time thus far came in the latter stages of the 4-0 defeat to Arsenal. The Senegal international played the final 18 minutes in Orlando and was in Tuchel's opinion, the Blues' standout performer.
"He was the best player on the pitch for us," the Chelsea head coach stated. "On an evening where nothing felt good, this felt very good."
With a week's worth of training under his belt, Koulibaly will be ready for further minutes, perhaps on the left side of the Chelsea back three. And the 31-year-old will want to showcase that he can have the same impact on the Blues' defence as Thiago Silva, who remains a class act at 37 years old.
N'Golo Kante
Due to his vaccination status, Kante wasn't able to travel with the Chelsea squad to the U.S. He instead remained in the United Kingdom and undertook work with the club's Development Squad – for whom he featured against Boreham Wood – and the youth team.
It was far from the ideal situation, although one Tuchel felt could be turned into a positive. Speaking earlier this month, he said: "For N'Golo, it is maybe not even the worst thing to do. So we can give him a very individual load. Very, very individualized load for him. So maybe we can turn a disadvantage into an advantage.
"I don’t think he, in particular, needs a long time to adapt to our game. N’Golo is N’Golo and everybody is aware that he is a key player and needs to be a key player if we want to win big stuff."
Kante's lack of match minutes in pre-season will be of concern to Tuchel – it's why the 31-year-old is certain to be handed time on the pitch in Udine. And the France international will want to showcase that he remains capable of producing indefatigable performances when called upon.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
As was the case with Kante, Loftus-Cheek did not travel with the first-team squad to the USA and spent the fortnight with the Development Squad and Under-18s. All the while, his place in the Chelsea midfield was coming under threat with Conor Gallagher making his mark after returning from a loan spell at Crystal Palace.
Gallagher is going to remain with Chelsea for the 2022/23 campaign – and joins a midfield that already contains Kante, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic. That may leave Loftus-Cheek as the club's fifth-choice central midfielder unless he can force his way up the ranks in the weeks ahead.
If selected against Udinese, a strong showing from Loftus-Cheek will at least put him on the right path. Tuchel has consistently stated there is an abundance of potential inside the England international waiting to be unlocked, how much longer Chelsea wait for that to happen is likely down to the 26-year-old.
Raheem Sterling
The England international has featured twice for Chelsea in pre-season and lasted just 45 minutes on each occasion. That is not enough football for Sterling to be ready for the opening Premier League game of the season and why he needs a longer run-out against Udinese.
Through little fault of his own, Sterling featured in arguably Chelsea's poorest halves of football during their pre-season tour. He did almost get on the scoresheet in the latter stages against Charlotte but hasn't had many opportunities to threaten goal or opposition defences.
Yet Sterling's ability to break forward at pace from deeper positions has already caught the eye. If he can continue in that vein and manage to get on the scoresheet, there will be optimism that he can lead the Chelsea attack in the early weeks of the 2022/23 campaign.
Armando Broja
Throughout the summer, Broja's future has been the subject of speculation. West Ham pursued the academy graduate for several weeks but eventually opted to sign Italian forward Gianluca Scamacca. Interest from Newcastle United and Everton, meanwhile, hasn't resulted in a bid being made.
Tuchel has continuously stated throughout pre-season that he wants Broja to remain in his squad; it's only due to an ankle injury sustained in training in Los Angeles that the Albania international hasn't featured in any of the Blues' friendlies thus far. That is expected to change against Udinese tomorrow evening.
Broja returned to training at the start of this week and is expected to be handed minutes by Tuchel against the Serie A side. With neither Kai Havertz or Timo Werner making the number nine role their own, there is an opportunity for the 20-year-old to stake a claim for a starting role against Everton come the opening weekend of the Premier League season.
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