What will Chelsea do to remain relevant?

The Community Shield encounter against Manchester City exposed Chelsea, more so the lack of star players Eden Hazard and N’Golo Kante. Chelsea struggled to pose any threat on Sunday, just days before the transfer window shuts and the Premier League season starts.

Here are some of the things that Chelsea must do if they are to remain relevant in the league this season.

Get used to Sarri’s tactics
In pre-season, there have been signs that ‘Sarri-ball’ is taking shape, slowly but surely. Against Perth Glory, Inter Milan and Arsenal, Chelsea played 4-3-3, pressed high, kept possession and exhibited plenty of pretty passing.

Everything went through Jorginho, though City clearly sussed how to put a stop to it on Sunday. Whenever Jorginho got the ball, two City markers would be on his back immediately, giving the midfielder no time to turn and instigate attacks.

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Hazard is back in training at Cobham but it will take time for him to adapt to the system. It took Guardiola a year for his tactics to start working at City. Usually, patience at Chelsea doesn’t last that long, so Sarri is in a hurry to have his ideas work.

Sign a new striker
Alvaro Morata had a new number on his back for the Community Shield but he produced a performance we have seen a dozen times before. The striker’s best chance to score saw the ball go high and wide into the stands at Wembley. He was often in the wrong position and struggled to have any impact against the Premier League champions.

After 69 minutes, with Chelsea 2-0 down and chasing the game, Sarri hooked 25-year-old Morata. On came Tammy Abraham instead. Morata is set to stay but Chelsea could still try to bolster their options up front. They have missed out on Gonzalo Higuain, who has moved to AC Milan on loan from Juventus.

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At Napoli, Higuain thrived under Sarri, scoring a Serie A record 36 goals in 35 games. The word is after arriving, Sarri told him: ‘Do as I say if you want to score a lot of goals.’ Morata now needs to do precisely that if he is to keep his place in this team.

Sort out the goalkeeping situation immediately
The door is now open to Courtois leaving Chelsea for Real Madrid – if the goalkeeper reiterates that is what he wants in a face-to-face meeting with Sarri. Belgium international Courtois is back at Cobham following his post-World Cup holidays and Sarri will speak to him about his future.

Courtois has hinted that he wants to leave. His agent Christophe Henrotay said this week: ‘I have been reading everywhere that Chelsea are saying it is up to Thibaut, but he has made it clear to the club the best option for him is to move to Madrid.’

Responding to those comments, Sarri said: ‘I’m not interested in the agent. I want to hear Courtois. If Courtois says the same, I have to speak with my club, of course, because I only want players with a very high level of motivation.’

The real problem is Chelsea will only let Courtois leave once they tie down a replacement. So far, that has not happened.

Sign new players

Chelsea have been left somewhat frustrated over the last two weeks in this window. They have been looking for a new No 1 amid the saga over Courtois’ contract but failed to find a suitable candidate.

The club also held talks over Juventus defenders Daniele Rugani and Mattia Caldara as Sarri chased ball-playing centre backs. Unfortunately for Chelsea, Caldara joined AC Milan, meaning Juve now do not want to sell Rugani – a double blow.

Inter Milan midfielder Matias Vecino was another target but little proper progress has been made. Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey has also been linked but there has been little movement on that so far. So where do they go from here? Sarri still wants new faces but they are in a race against time, with the window shutting on Thursday.

Clear the deadwood

It was interesting to see Tiemoue Bakayoko not even named on the Chelsea bench against City. The French midfielder, who has interested AC Milan, was at Wembley as a spectator. As it stands, Danny Drinkwater is above him in Sarri’s pecking order, so he could be one of several faces to be shipped out.

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With Chelsea having looked at bringing in another central defender, that is an area that could become crowded. David Luiz is going nowhere, but Gary Cahill could. Another question is, will Ruben Loftus-Cheek stay or go? Naturally, after such a progressive year of playing first-team football on loan at Crystal Palace, he does not want to stop now.

The 22-year-old England international, who was not in the squad for the Community Shield, could ask Chelsea whether another loan is possible.

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