The Eagles continue their search for Premier League points with a visit to free spending Chelsea this weekend.
Ahead of the game, we had a chat with the guys at @CFCExtra to find out how Blues fans are feeling about the new season.
TEB – How was pre-season for Chelsea? What fixtures did you have and were there any stand-out players?
CFCE – It was quite an underwhelming and disjointed pre-season for us in the USA. I think the club prioritised the exposure and marketing that a stateside tour brings ahead of the football so Enzo Maresca probably didn’t have as much time as he wanted to coach the side. We looked a bit better in our final pre-season match but overall, it could have been better.
The stand-out player was definitely Christopher Nkunku. After missing most of last season with injury, this is a big year for him and I think he’ll come good. Marc Guiu also had a good tour although it’s still to be seen if he can contribute at Premier League level.
TEB – It’s safe to say Chelsea are active in the transfer market. Are you happy with your summer transfer business? Were there any areas not strengthened that should have been?
CFCE – We’ve added some good quality in the wide areas. I think Neto is a particularly good signing and I’ve always had a soft spot for Joao Felix since his first spell at the club. We’ve also brought in Renato Veiga from Basel who looks like a tidy young player who can play all across the back line and in midfield. We do lack depth at striker though and could be in real trouble if Nicolas Jackson picks up an injury. The club seemed to put all of their eggs into the Victor Osihmen basket and it hasn’t worked out.
TEB – Thoughts on Enzo Mascara? Is he the man to take the club forward?
CFCE – I like him so far but he’s a bit of an unknown quantity and it’s probably too soon to say. He’s very blunt in his press conferences and it’s quite refreshing in a way. He also seems really good at managing the fitness of his squad to prevent injuries which was a real issue for us last year. Ultimately, time will tell but it’s not all doom and gloom.
TEB – Expectations for the season?
CFCE – A top four finish and winning the Conference League. This is what Mauricio Pochettino was judged on last year and it should be the exact same for Maresca. Anything else really isn’t good enough with the money spent over the past few windows and if we fall short again then you have to start asking questions of the hierarchy and directors of football.
TEB – As a neutral it was a surprise to see Connor Gallagher go to Atletico Madrid. Will he be missed this season and what are your thoughts on the transfer?
CFCE – This is a controversial one but I think he absolutely will be missed. Conor did a lot of important work for us in midfield last year and gave us an intensity which proved really important. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall is a big downgrade in my opinion, although it is early days. My worry right now is that our only midfielder intensity and defensive awareness of the ball right now is Moises Caicedo. As the season goes on and squad depth becomes important, we might regret forcing Gallagher out. It sounds crazy to say given how many players we have on the books but here we are.
TEB – If you could sign one current player from Palace, who would it be?
CFCE – Can I pick Trevoh Chalobah? I still don’t think we should have forced him out. Out of your current squad Marc Guehi is the obvious choice and I think he would have a very good chance of going straight into our starting line up, but I’m going to pick Jean-Philippe Mateta. We are short up front and a good Premier League level striker to ease to goal scoring burden on Jackson would help us a lot.
TEB – Favourite away day in the Premier League?
CFCE – Newcastle is always a fun away day, even though they put you so high up in the stand you can barely see the pitch. Great atmosphere and a fun city to visit.
TEB – Predictions for the game including final score?
CFCE – We will get the job done and win 4-2 but we’ll make it difficult for ourselves and give away a couple of sloppy goals. I can see Joao Felix being influential again and causing your defensive some problems with his close control and finishing.
