Sometimes football seasons blur into one another, but for Chelsea, the past year has been anything but ordinary.
Coming off the back of their Club World Cup victory, the Blues barely had time to catch their breath before being thrown into a new challenge.
With only 13 days to prepare for the Premier League opener, Enzo Maresca and his team had to rethink what pre-season even meant.
Rethinking Pre-Season
Bryce Cavanagh, Chelsea’s director of performance, has overseen plenty of training camps in his career – seven years with the England national team proves that.
But this condensed schedule was a test like no other.
With 28 players returning after a short three-week break, Cavanagh, Maresca, and the rest of the staff agreed there was no time for old-school bleep tests or endless shuttle runs.
Instead, the plan was simple: treat this like a normal week in a normal season.
The focus shifted to preparation for friendlies against Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan, followed quickly by their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace.
The players didn’t complain – fewer mindless running drills sounded just fine to them.
Training with Energy and Music
Inside Chelsea’s gym at Cobham, the environment was far from dull.
With UK rap tracks like Knucks’ “Home” blasting, players pushed through explosive exercises.
Liam Delap powered through weighted squats, Moises Caicedo worked on balance drills, and goalkeepers Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen sharpened their reactions in a Whac-A-Mole style reflex game.
Young Brazilian wonderkid Estevao Willian, just 18 and still learning English, leaned on fellow Portuguese speakers like Pedro Neto for guidance.
Overseeing it all was a group of performance coaches, including Marcos Alvarez – famously not banning ketchup this time – along with Nick Chadd, Tom Taylor, Tiago Vaz, and Willie Isa, who kept notes like a rugby tactician.
Positive reinforcement echoed across the room: “Love that, Rob.” “Go on, Liam.”
When the final bell rang – literally struck by 20-year-old newcomer Dario Essugo – it only marked the end of the gym session.
The real work was still ahead.
A Farewell Behind the Scenes
While players focused on fitness, others in the club had their own milestones.
Kit manager Ricky Dowling, who has been with Chelsea for 13 years and overseen more than 750 matches, revealed this would be his final pre-season at Cobham.
A familiar and respected figure, Dowling leaves with his own unique piece of history – a full-size replica of the Jules Rimet trophy left in his kit room by Andre Schurrle after Germany’s 2014 World Cup triumph.
Maresca Keeps Training Fresh
Outdoors, Maresca kept things lively. His warm-ups often resembled playground games – including tag-style chases in coned-off squares.
The tactical sessions emphasized variety and match realism: passing drills, attacking sequences with Joao Pedro, set-piece practice, and crossing routines with Jamie Gittens and Marc Cucurella.
Cole Palmer even stayed behind to fine-tune his free kicks, knowing he’ll have first rights on them this season.
Before facing Leverkusen, Maresca even turned Cobham into a cinema, rolling out a giant screen to show clips of their opponents’ pressing patterns. The message was clear: every detail counts.
Injury Woes and Careful Management
Not everything went smoothly. Levi Colwill suffered an ACL injury in the first grass session, despite working hard during his holiday to stay fit.
The blow was crushing, with surgery ruling him out and leaving Maresca urging the board for a replacement.
Wesley Fofana, meanwhile, was carefully eased back after his thigh problem, while Reece James had his workload managed given his history of hamstring troubles.
Cavanagh’s philosophy of “the other 22” hours – stressing sleep, nutrition, and recovery away from the training ground – became more important than ever.
The staff could only do so much during their short window.
A Season Merged into Two
In truth, Chelsea had little choice but to run what insiders jokingly call “Operation Rush.”
Asked to rate their readiness, Maresca admitted: “Where we are from one to 10? We are OK. We are good.”
The Blues’ schedule helps somewhat – their first four league games are in London, sparing them long travel, and they won’t face a top-six rival until they meet Liverpool in October.
Still, the question lingers: will the relentless pace of last season catch up with them later in the year?
For now, Chelsea fans can only watch as Maresca’s squad kicks off against Crystal Palace, knowing this season feels like the continuation of the last – with barely a pause in between.
