Chelsea's Pre-Season Rush: Maresca Faces Fitness Race

Enzo Maresca will welcome the Chelsea players back to Cobham on August 4 (Image: Howard Smith/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

The Blues beat PSG 3-0 in the final on Sunday, July 13 and since then have been on their holidays as they recover from a gruelling season. While many of Chelsea's rivals had already started pre-season preparations for the 2025/26 season by then, Enzo Maresca and his players are now somewhat behind other Premier League teams due to their participation in FIFA's revamped competition.

Players who were part of the squad in the United States still have more than a week to chill out and rest, but it's understood they are due back at Cobham for a mini pre-season on Monday, August 4. The plan is for new signing Estevao Willian to also begin training with new teammates on that date.

That means players will only have four days to prepare for the pre-season friendly against Bayer Leverkusen, which is being held at Stamford Bridge on August 8. The west Londoners will then play another friendly against AC Milan on August 10.

Maresca only has two games to ensure his players are fit and firing ahead of the new season, with Chelsea welcoming Crystal Palace to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, August 17 on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Only time will tell how the Club World Cup tournament impacts Chelsea in the long run. “Probably there is no time for pre-season,” Maresca said in May. “You need to give them recovery. You need to give them some days off, otherwise it’s impossible for them to perform in the right way.”

It may well be the Chelsea squad has a couple of new faces by the time we reach August 4. The club have been busy in the transfer market already, signing Liam Delap, Dario Essugo, Jamie Gittens, Joao Pedro and Mamadou Sarr.