We’re through the introduction now – Chelsea’s season is about to get into the first act.
The first 4 Premier League games and the September international break are over. Now we get into the real stuff. This week our long awaited Champions League return comes with a game against Bayern Munich. Then it’s Manchester United away at the weekend, the start of the Carabao Cup, it’s all kicking off.
Enzo Maresca’s squad, already hit by injuries and struggling to bed in new players, is going to be stretched right away.
Like playing games in a free spins no deposit Australia casino, there’s a lot of fun to be had trying to predict what will come next – but the reason it’s so fun is that nobody knows what comes next.
We can very well see a world where a full strength Chelsea find their feet and beat Bayern, then use that momentum to carry them through to a win against a rotten United team at Old Trafford. Then we’ll be looking really well set for the season. 3 points from our hardest European game plus strong position in the Premier League after 5 games. Things would be looking exceptionally bright.
However, it’s just as easy to see things go the other way – a tired and depleted Chelsea team getting schooled by Bayern, then stumbling tired and wounded into a trap game at Old Trafford where a desperate (and well rested) United get their season going by beating us.
In that way it’s a fascinating – and worrying – week. Above all, it’s going to be one which is incredibly physically demanding for the players, and getting through it without injuries is important.
Maresca tried to rest important players on Saturday but was forced to call on them in the second half. Those same players will now likely have to start both games this week.
Someone like Moises Caicedo, who flew back from South America and started against Brentford just 48 hours later, now potentially has to play another 180 minutes this week. We’re only in mid-September, and we’re already so worried about his workload for the rest of the season.
If we can get through this week with no new injuries and a couple of solid results in the bag, we can press on with a lot more confidence. If things go the other way, however, there will be growing concerns already about whether we’re ready for this hectic season ahead.
