In just eleven days, Chelsea will get their 2022/23 Premier League campaign underway with a trip to Goodison Park to face Everton. And there is still a huge amount of work for Thomas Tuchel and his players to do.
After the 4-0 pre-season defeat to Orlando on Saturday, a downbeat Tuchel could not guarantee his side would be ready to face Frank Lampard's Toffees. Nor could the German speak positively about the make-up of his squad, with several players keen to leave and signings limited to Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly so far.
On and off the pitch, Chelsea need to improve. The Blues' efforts in the transfer market this summer have been slapdash – that is no huge surprise given Todd Boehly, the club's new co-owner and interim sporting director, has little experience of the European game and what drives it.
