Chelsea's form in pre-season has been mixed. A comfortable 4-2 win against the Seattle Sounders was followed by a 1-1 draw against PSG. This was followed up with a shock 3-2 loss against the MLS All-Stars. True, it's only pre-season. For the players, it's all about regaining full-match fitness & getting theselves prepared for the rigors of another season. But it's never fun to lose, & Chelsea would like to end their tour of the US on a high.
The match against AC Milan will be the perfect opportunity to do just that. True, AC Milan are a team who are never easy to play. But the Italian giants are still reeling from the shock departure of star players Zlatan Ibrahimovic & Thiago Silva. Throw in the fact that Brazilian striker Robinho will not be a part of the match against Chelsea (he was forced to return to Italy after problems emerged with his passport during a lay-over in Frankfurt) and one can easily say that this AC Milan team is a relatively weakened one.
On the other hand Chelsea have a squad that is nearly full-strength. The attack will be bolstered with the addition of Fernando Torres, & I expect him to play a part at some point during the match. Expect some decent performances from the Chelsea midfield, as the recent acquisition of Brazil international Oscar will mean that pretty much the entire midfield is in danger of losing their place to the versatile & talented youngster. The defence need to pull up their socks, as we haven't been very strong at the back in any of our matches so far. While it's true that our back four has mostly been a patched-up group, the fragility of the defence has been worrying.
All in all, the match should be an exciting one. Here's hoping for a lovely end to Chelsea's Tour of the US!
TweetFollow @CFC360Official
New boys (Hazard, Marin) need time to stick with seniors. I think it takes quite a lot of time.
ReplyDeleteWe may lose some games (including Community Shield with Man City because it happens too early :(!!!) but will get better over time.
Our back four should improve much more. e.g. concentration, determination. Terry may be banned in some games. I don't want us to buy another RB because we need to develop our youngsters (Hutchinson or Chalobah or Todd Kane).
Lampard should play as deep-lying midfielder and should not play in whole 90 minutes. I expect "2" in 4-2-3-1 will be Essien-Lampard or Mikel-Lampard or Essien-Mikel (Meireles can replace one of the above three).
Hazard will our key player, covering left winger or No. 10 midfielder. Mata is the same with Hazard but he will need time to recover due to Olympic games.
For right winger, Ramires or Oscar can play. But I expect Oscar should play as a playmaker (behind the No. 10 midfielder and just ahead of defensive midfielder). I expect RDM play him. Putting him on the bench will be a big risk for his great talent.
Marin will be very good impact sub for Hazard or Marin.
Torres makes me confused because of his form. He needs to be more consistent in terms of scoring goals. Sturridge will be competing with him.