Preseason is a tough act to manage for any coach. On the one hand they’re trying to build up players’ fitness by using them as much as possible, on the other hand they’re trying to keep everyone as fresh as possible for when the real action starts.
There’s also the whole squad to consider, from first team stars to youth talents to squad players who may go on loan.
That’s why it will be interesting to see what Thomas Tuchel does with the double header for Chelsea this week. They play Charlotte tonight, then Arsenal on Saturday night.
That means plenty of minutes to go round, and we won’t see anyone play 180 minutes we don’t think.
It does make it even stranger that Billy Gilmour and Harvey Vale were sent home. Surely they would have had their chance to play at some point over the two matches? The whole situation is a little curious.
