Chelsea confirmed their full squad heading to the US tour yesterday, and there was even a nice group photo of the squad. Not Enzo Fernandez though, he’s coming straight from Argentina, which makes sense.
on the way to America
A recap of the 29-man squad headed to the US:
goalkeeper
Kepa Arrizabalaga
Gabriel Slonina
Lucas Bergstrom
eddie beach
jamie cumming
defiant team
Thiago Silva
Trevor Chalobah
ben chilwell
Mark Cucurella
Marlo Gusto
Bashir Humphreys
Levi Colwell
Ian Mattson
Alfie Gilchrist
midfielder
Enzo Fernandez
Connor Gallagher
Kani Chukumeka
Andre Santos
Cesar Cassady
lewis hall
forward
Mikaelo Mudrick
Raheem Sterling
Noli Maduk
Angelo Gabriel
Diego Moreira
nicholas jackson
Christopher Nkunku
Mason Burstow
Dujuan Richards (training only)
By the way, five goalkeepers and six midfielders are hilarious! You have to laugh at this stage, at least for this stage…
Regardless, I think Mauricio Pochettino will pick a strong starting Xl and then at half-time we might see a completely different Xl, which is often the case in pre-season friendlies. Bear in mind that Poch wants to take a close look at the handful of players who could influence transfer decisions for the rest of this window. That’s why Armando Broja’s recovery progress has been a bit of a stunt, which is a shame, because Poh has been so eager to get a closer look at him.
Here is my forecasted starting Xl
Now, I predict half-time substitutions:
Obviously, sweeping changes may not happen immediately, and we could see players introduced later in the game. It all depends on what Poh wants to do with it.
But I’m really eager to see Santos and Hall in midfield, especially with Carney in the number ten.
Fortunately, Marlo Gusto returned to pre-season training early, because he will likely have to play the entire game without another right-back in the team. Not sure if Gilchrist or Humphreys will be there. Trevor Chalobah could play there, but he might have to start. Might also change the formation to get Gusto out so he doesn’t have to play the full 90, but let’s see.
Regardless, I’m delighted to see many of these players playing for Chelsea and quite a few of them will be making their debuts for the club.
Really excited to see this!
