There has not been a lot during this pre-season for Chelsea fans to get their teeth stuck into.
The tour of the USA uncovered more awkward questions than hopeful answers, leaving the preamble to the final warmup against Udinese feeling quite downbeat. However, the squad Thomas Tuchel picked and the subsequent performance, particularly in the first half, offered fresh encouragement in the final third with the introduction of Raheem Sterling.
The first signing of the Todd Boehly era started alongside Mason Mount and Kai Havertz, a trio we could likely see deployed against Everton next weekend at Goodison Park. And with Tuchel needing to conjure vast improvement in his attack, the 3-1 win over Udinese offered more positives than negatives.
