Chelsea FC: Ghosts of the past haunt Blues on grueling US tour with furious Thomas Tuchel demanding new players

Arsenal’s 4-0 victory in Florida over the weekend, shortcomings in the club’s preparation both on and off the pitch were exposed. The humiliating defeat also led to a furious Thomas Tuchel warned he couldn’t guarantee his team would be ready for the new season.

In a troubling assessment of Chelsea’s problems, Tuchel also said he was “urgent” in need of quality players and questioned his side’s ability to compete with Manchester City and Liverpool next season.

Arsenal’s defeat came after 14 days with Chelsea in their training camp in Los Angeles. The climate was cool and the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium was visible and happy, though Tuchel admitted he was tired of the early demands of the new regime.

Fast forward two weeks and Tuchel’s mood is much worse. He again complained about the work he has to do in terms of transfers for the Arsenal match. Tuchel would like to focus on preparing the team for their opening game of the season, at Everton on August 6, but he is helping co-owner Boehly navigate the transfer market.

Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly have signed a deal for a combined £80million, but Chelsea’s side are weaker than last season and Tuchel are demanding further additions.

Chelsea have fallen short on defense following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen who were out on a free transfer following mismanagement at the end of the Roman Abramovich era.

So much has the focus been on covering old mistakes with new signings that Chelsea still carry a lot of baggage. The only high-profile player left is the club record that Romelu Lukaku has loaned to his former club, Inter Milan.

Chelsea haven’t been able to fire anyone else. Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso are still there despite wanting to move to Barcelona, ​​Timo Werner and Christian Pulisic are unhappy with their roles and Armando Broja has seen a move to West Ham fail.

Kenedy, Michy Batshuayi and Ross Barkley are still part of the roster, although they clearly have no future at the club under Tuchel. There is also frustration in the academy that Billy Gilmour, Harvey Vale and Tino Anjorin were sent home from the tour to play with the Under-23s.

The squad management issues were just one issue on a less-than-ideal tour of the United States.

Since leaving their glittering training base in LA at UCLA, conditions have deteriorated for the squad. Chelsea stayed in one of the most luxurious casinos in Las Vegas, but had to cope with the dry desert heat. They then moved to Florida, where the sweltering weather conditions weighed heavily on the team. They were beaten by MLS side Charlotte on penalties for the Arsenal thrashing.

This was a tour organized under Abramovich’s regime and it felt more like a marketing exercise than a sporting endeavor as the squad collected air miles traveling from coast to coast. Unvaccinated players N’Golo Kante and Ruben Loftus-Cheek did not participate in the preseason, but instead train with the U23 and U19 squad.

Chelsea’s squad will reunite with their midfielders tomorrow, after being released today. Tuchel will continue to work, taking transfers and trying to find tactical solutions as he weighs new formations with a back-four for the new season.

Meanwhile, the new owners are under pressure to find answers in the transfer market to satisfy their manager. They bought Chelsea in chaotic circumstances and the club threatens to continue on that line this season. It could delay the ambition to move West Londoners to a more stable model of football governance exemplified by Liverpool.

Former Crystal Palace tenant Conor Gallagher has successfully staked his claim to start the first game of the new season, but Tuchel is likely to stay with Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho against Everton.

Koulibaly looks set to take on alongside Thiago Silva and Trevoh Chalobah, who were exposed at Arsenal. Ben Chilwell and Reece James hope to rediscover their form from last season after returning to full fitness.

Sterling played both of his matches alongside Kai Havertz and Mason Mount. While the trio has yet to gel, they seem to be the preferred combination.

However, Chelsea’s new owners are dealing with a bloated squad, troubled older players and unfulfilled youth stars.

These are the ghosts of Chelsea’s past under Abramovich’s regime and Todd Boehly and Co must be agile enough to solve Tuchel’s problems.