Craig Burley and Jan Age Fjortoft debate if Barcelona is better for Jules Kounde. There is a time and a place for it. Preseason games aren't usually a good guide to a team's prospects for the season ahead, but Thomas Tuchel's concerns about the new season are. The alarm bells are only getting louder. It won't have an effect on whether the reigning Club World Cup champion are able to deliver silverware this season. It will be down to how they overcome the upheaval that has seen the club's ownership change for the first time in 19 years if they succeed or fail. While staff at every club will always say that they don't focus on off-field matters, the impact of the board changes at the club is being felt. Tuchel's frustration came to the surface after his team's poor performance in the stadium. On the U.S. only, you can stream the daily edition of ESPN FC.
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Tuchel said he was not from relaxed. We were not up to par. We were not up to par. I look at the last season and parts of the game where we struggled, and then we got sanctions, and some players are trying to leave us, and this is where it is.
We had an urgent call for quality players. We have two good players, but we are not competitive like this. It could not be seen today.
The sanctions imposed by the U.K. government in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine made it necessary for stability and a clear strategy to be in place for this summer's transfer window.
The team needed to reduce the age of their squad in all areas because key players were nearing the end of their contracts. The big signings of the last two summer windows at a combined cost of 168m, to score the goals they were signed to deliver, meant thatChelsea would be looking for attacking reinforcements too.
The club was left in crisis mode and unable to plan for the summer window due to the sanctions and the takeover.
The signings of Sterling from Manchester City and Koulibaly from Napoli are for now and not for the future. Replacing gaps created by departures is more important than adding to existing strength and quality. The summer of 2016 needed to be re-focusing rather than plugging gaps.
Winning the FIFA Club World Cup and reaching the finals of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup -- both lost on penalties toLiverpool -- might paint a picture of a successful season for Chelsea, but Tuchel will know that his team suffered an alarming loss of form in the final weeks of the season
The uncertainty off the pitch was mirrored by a lack of direction on it and preseason has done nothing to assure him that things are different in both areas.
The club needs Boehly to sign more players quickly. Efforts to sign defender Jules Kounde from Sevilla are being held up by Barcelona's interest in the player, but the coach at least seems to have won his battle to convince his new boss that a move for Manchester United veteran CristianoRonaldo would not be a solution to the team's
Tuchel has concerns about his existing players being able to prove their worth, even though Boehly appears to have the ambition and financial backing to deliver more signings before the start of the season.
The club needs someone to put the ball into the back of the net on a regular basis, but that hasn't been done by any of the new arrivals.
It's the same players so why should anything change? Tuchel made a statement. We have the same issues because we have the same players.
Poor results, poor performances, and the same old faces. If Tuchel doesn't get the players he wants and needs, the team will go backwards this year.
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