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Chelsea are going through a revolution at the moment. The transfer ban has massively influenced all footballing affairs at the club. Since they cannot sign any player, Chelsea are building their squad using existing players and players from the loan army and the academy.
Throughout the preseason, most forgotten players have played while some academy stars have also featured regularly. The style of football on display has been full of energy and the players have improved with every match.
Here, we take a look at 3 players who have improved the most so far:
#3 Mateo Kovacic
Mateo Kovacic is perhaps one of the most misunderstood players in the world. Due to his specific skill set, he hasn't been able to fit into the system at any of his clubs.
Kovacic excels in carrying the ball through the pitch. His biggest strength is to link the defense and the attack. Being physically strong, he is very comfortable in dribbling the ball through a marker or two. However, his attributes in the final third are extremely average. Chelsea must not expect goals from him as finishing isn't really his department.
The ideal position for Kovacic should be something like a defensive midfielder. And this is exactly where he has been deployed by Lampard. As analyzed in the previous article, Lampard has settled at a double pivot with two mobile defensive midfielders.
Being in his favoured position, Kovacic has been playing some fantastic football. He has a visible understanding with Jorginho and both have been able to play the ball forward comfortably.
Playing in a double pivot is definitely helping him work according to his strengths. However, Lampard loves to tinker with his tactics throughout the game and Kovacic must be aware that formations may change easily.
As we approach the upcoming season, it seems that Kovacic is finally in the right position and can do wonders if he maintains his form.
#2 Ross Barkley
Last season was expected to be the ice-breaker for Ross Barkley. However, things went south and Barkley ended up being nothing more than a rotational player. While this was a result of his average performances, Ruben Loftus-Cheek's form also played a part.
However, with Loftus-Cheek's injury before the Europa League final, doors have opened up for Barkley. They say, "One man's loss is another man's gain." This saying fits well into the current situation of Ross Barkley.
So, the biggest problem with Barkley's game last season was that he was way too cautious. He seemed afraid to drive forward and just wasn't looking confident enough in attack. Perhaps it was the pressure of keeping his place in the starting lineup or maybe he just wasn't mentally prepared.
This preseason, Barkley is starting to play like the player Chelsea paid a handsome amount for. A factor that could be responsible for this change is probably the formation. With a double pivot at the base, Barkley gets a lot of freedom to roam into space. With Sarri's huge defensive demands last season, he just wasn't able to get that creative freedom.
Throughout the preseason games, Barkley has been putting himself into good positions. He has been running between the lines and dribbling his way forward. It seems that he has finally let go of his nervousness as he is now often going one-on-one with defenders.
This season should turn out to be the most important season of Barkley's career. Gone are the days when he was considered the "next big thing". It is time to finally convert all the potential into performances.
#1 Michy Batshuayi
Batshuayi has never really been able to become the talisman for Chelsea. Every since his arrival at Chelsea, Batshuayi failed to cement his spot in the starting lineup. Moreover, he wasn't really given a decent amount of games to prove himself. However, it is important to note that Batshuayi's performances, in his limited appearances, were average at best and he wasn't really able to make a striking difference.
On analyzing his few games at Chelsea, there are some great positives that are seen. In most games, he moved into the right spaces and had decent finishing. There were times when he missed some sitters and there were even more times where he failed to link up the play. What was important though was that he seemed to understand the game and move accordingly.
This preseason, Batshuayi is looking like a different player. His movement is great, his finishing has improved. Moreover, due to Frank Lampard's tactics, Batshuayi is pressing high and just getting more involved in general. A huge factor behind this is the mentality. Since Chelsea are under a transfer ban, all the strikers will remain at Chelsea and that is where Batshuayi potentially gets a chance.
Whether or not Batshuayi finally lives up to the hype will be seen this season. But if things from preseason are anything to go by, the Batsman has arrived at Stamford Bridge.
