5 Chelsea Players with Points to Prove in Pre-Season
We may well be in the throes of an exciting 2016 UEFA European Championship, but thoughts are already beginning to switch to pre-season for Premier League clubs.
Chelsea players report back to training on July 11—a day after the Euro 2016 final—ahead of their first friendly against Rapid Vienna five days later. They will spend a week in Austria, also playing RZ Pellets before jetting off to the U.S.
Speaking to officials at Chelsea, we’re told Italy’s ongoing European journey will not impact Antonio Conte’s arrival at the club. Even if the Azzurri make it to the final, we’re expecting him to start his new job at Chelsea in time for their first friendly match in Vienna.
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So with Conte on the scene all summer, he’ll have time to assess the players in his squad. It’ll also give said players time to impress their new boss.
Who has a point to prove ahead of 2016/17? Who is trying to establish their career or save it? Let’s take a closer look.
Bad news for Belgium at Euro 2016 is good news for Chelsea. With the Red Devils being eliminated by Wales in the quarter-final 3-1 on Friday, Chelsea no longer have any players representing their countries in France. Thibaut Courtois and Eden Hazard were all that remained of the Chelsea contingent, and now they’re officially on holiday as a result of their exit.
Neither player will be in Austria due to their extended run at the Euros, but they will join up with the Blues in the U.S. That’s when Hazard can get to setting the record straight about his talents and value to this Chelsea team.
The Belgian has spoken about wanting to be a “boss” at Chelsea, like he was at Lille. He wants to make amends for a forgettable season last year when his form tanked and he was largely ineffective. In order to do that, he must convince Conte that he’s capable of the manager building his team around him.
At his very best, Hazard sits in a select group of players in the world. He is a massive threat in the final third, but the past 12 months have made him look ordinary. Even at Euro 2016 there was a hint of him struggling, despite that starring role against Hungary in the last 16.
Conte has big ideas for this Chelsea team, and despite being a star from the past, Hazard needs to convince the manager he should be a big part of the future.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek
The challenge for Ruben Loftus-Cheek this summer is somewhat different to his more senior team-mates, such as Hazard. Loftus-Cheek isn’t attempting to reinstate his star status at Chelsea; he’s trying to show Conte that he is now ready to be starting matches regularly at Stamford Bridge.
Conte will be well aware of Loftus-Cheek and what his qualities are. He would have studied videos of his new players at the back end of last season to get a flavour for what he is inheriting. With the emergence of youth from Chelsea’s academy a major talking point right now, he would have probably been paying closer attention to some of those players given they’re relatively unknown.
As it stands, Loftus-Cheek is at the front of the queue for first-team opportunities when we think of younger players, but he is equally under the biggest threat. Chelsea are looking to bolster their midfield, and the suggestion is they’re looking outside of the club to find the right player. Any new central midfielders will put another obstacle in the way of Loftus-Cheek, so under the watchful eye of his manager, he needs to come out fighting.
Not only that, the youngster needs to show Conte where his best position is. Too often he was played out of position last season, being used as a No. 10. That’s not his game, mainly because he lacks the technical ability in tight spaces. If that isn’t addressed, Loftus-Cheek will continue to be frustrated.
John Obi Mikel
There’s an argument that John Obi Mikel was the saviour of Chelsea last season. It was only when Guus Hiddink utilised him in defensive midfield that the Blues’ form picked up and they started moving up the table. Before then, under Jose Mourinho, despite Nemanja Matic struggling, the Nigerian wasn’t getting too many opportunities.
Hiddink had worked with Mikel before so knew his qualities. He comes highly rated by the Dutchman, but it’s different for Conte. For starters, the manager prefers midfielders with more energy in the central areas, and Mikel hasn’t always displayed those qualities. He’s more languid in possession, preferring to slow things down and have the game play through him.
Well, this summer that needs to change. Mikel must show Conte he has those battling qualities that have been a staple of any side he has coached. He needs to be the ball-winner for Chelsea otherwise he’ll find out pretty quickly that he isn’t needed.
Mikel has just one year left on his deal with Chelsea and has already spoken of wanting to see that out by playing regularly.
“I have one more season with Chelsea, but I know when this season ends, we will definitely sit down and try to sort out whatever needs to be sorted out,” he told Goal.com in April (per Evening Standard). “If it means me leaving, fine. If it means me staying, then I have to play because one thing I don’t want to do is to sit on the bench like I did before.”
Conte isn’t going to take kindly to those demands if Mikel can’t back them up with performances.
He has his new one-year contract, but we’re still not sure what it means for John Terry at Chelsea. Will he be playing regularly for the Blues or will he be a cheerleader from the sidelines next season?
With or without Terry in the Chelsea squad, Conte was always going to bring at least one new defender into the club. Kurt Zouma will not be fit for the start of the season as he recovers from a knee injury, which means Gary Cahill and Terry are the only recognised centre-backs at Stamford Bridge. New recruits are desperately needed.
Terry’s task in pre-season is to show Conte he can be a big part of the solution for next season at least. We all know about his experience and the influence he wields at Stamford Bridge, but what about his fitness? At 35, Conte will need to be convinced Terry can go the distance and slot into a defensive three that he has long since deployed in his time with Juventus and now Italy.
Terry has already shown he’s aware of this fact, regularly updating his Instagram account with videos of him working out while on holiday. He’s been running, skipping and even open water swimming to show Conte age hasn’t damaged his desire to be a first choice at Chelsea.
Oscar
The Brazilian remains a mystery. It’s not just in pre-season that he needs to convince Conte of his quality, but over the course of the season, if he remains at Stamford Bridge.
Oscar can be world class one week and look distinctly average soon after. His form fluctuates too much, and it’s meant his presence has been a drain on this Chelsea squad. Last season saw him disappear completely and he’s now at a crossroads with his Stamford Bridge career. This summer is make or break.
One silver lining for Oscar could be the formation switch we’re expecting in west London. Mourinho persevered with him as his No. 10, but it isn’t Oscar’s strongest position. For a long while, there’s been a desire to see him playing a bit deeper in midfield to influence games in a similar way to how Cesc Fabregas does. If Conte deploys a five-man midfield, could Oscar complete one the three central positions?
He’s shown in the past that he’s defensively adept and not having the burden of being Chelsea’s source of creativity in central areas may well release him. Oscar has looked strongest when he’s been running at players and isolating them. That’s not always possible as a No. 10 simply because of the congested space in and around the box. Playing deeper and behind two front men, he may well prove a lot of people wrong, including this writer.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
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