With the Premier League Summer Series starting on Saturday 22 July in the USA, Adrian Clarke assesses the six clubs involved, highlighting the key questions that could be answered during the tournament.
Team analysis: Chelsea
Just 10 members of Mauricio Pochettino’s 29-man squad for the Premier League Summer Series made five or more starts for Chelsea last season.
See: Squads for Premier League Summer Series announced
The Blues’ head coach has trimmed down his group with a series of high-profile sales, so plenty of new faces will be given a chance to impress him during the tournament in the USA.
A couple of his standout youngsters are central defender Levi Colwill and left-back Ian Maatsen.
They both impressed greatly during loan spells in 2022/23 and will view the next three matches against Premier League rivals as a wonderful opportunity to make their mark.
Chelsea's Summer Series fixtures
| Date | Opp. | Venue | Time (ET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22 July | Brighton | Philadelphia | 19:00 |
| 26 July | Newcastle | Atlanta | 20:15 |
| 30 July | Fulham | Maryland | 14:45 |
Classy Colwill
Hopes are high that 20-year-old centre-back Colwill can make a big impression for Chelsea this season.
He performed superbly on loan to Huddersfield Town in 2021/22, helping the Terriers reach the Championship playoff final.
Last season he followed that up by shining in the Premier League for Brighton & Hove Albion, who will be Chelsea’s first opponents in Philadelphia on Saturday evening.
And with Wesley Fofana suffering an ACL injury that will force him to miss a large part of 2023/24, Colwill has every chance to impress in the tournament and beyond.
Colwill, who was a key figure in England Under-21s’ recent European Championship triumph, is a left-footed central defender.
See: Which of England's U21 heroes can reach the next level?
He is strong in the air, winning more aerial duels per 90 minutes than anyone else at Brighton last season.
Colwill's 2022/23 stats
| Statistic | Total | Brighton rank |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 17 | - |
| Aerial duels won/90 | 3.32 | 1st |
| Clearances/90 | 2.73 | 1st |
| Succ. passes/90 | 75.02 | 2nd |
| Dribbled past by opponent/90 | 0.37 | 2nd |
Defensively he likes to play on the front foot, stepping forward to break up play. In possession he offers balance and technical excellence.
Brighton captain Lewis Dunk was the only team-mate to make more successful passes per match than Colwill, who had a tremendous passing accuracy of 88.6 per cent.
One of Colwill’s strengths is sliding incisive through-balls inside opposition full-backs for quick wide men to run on to.
This could be good news for the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk, who likes to sprint in beyond his markers.
Maatsen ready for step up?
Successful loan spells with Charlton Athletic, Coventry City and Burnley have prepared Dutch left-back Maatsen well for a breakthrough at Chelsea.
His first pre-season outing under Pochettino certainly caught the eye. Deployed on the left side of midfield, Maatsen scored two first-half goals in a 5-0 win over Wrexham.
Still only 21, the buccaneering defender has already made 113 appearances in the English Football League.
Maatsen thrived under the tutorage of Vincent Kompany in Burnley’s title-winning campaign last season, scoring four goals and making six assists.
The Netherlands Under-21 international loves to scamper forward with the ball at his feet and is excellent at providing width on the overlap. But he also learned how to tuck into central midfield during the build-up phase.
Chelsea’s diminutive prospect was brave on the ball at Championship level. Only one other Championship full-back made more progressive ball carries than the ultra-positive Maatsen, and that was Norwich City’s Max Aarons.
Similarly only one full-back, Burnley team-mate Connor Roberts, attempted a greater number of progressive forward passes.
Maatsen's 2022/23 stats
| Statistic | Total | Championship rank |
|---|---|---|
| Progressive carries | 128 | 8th |
| Progressive carries distance | 6,163m | 8th |
| Progressive passes | 224 | 9th |
Thanks to loan spells that delivered consistently high-performance levels, Colwill and Maatsen have both enhanced their status and reputations.
They now have a big opportunity to impress Pochettino in the Summer Series and become first-team stars at Stamford Bridge rather than at a different team.
Also in this series
Part 1: How will Torres improve Emery's defence?
Part 2: Can Schade seize a spot in Brentford's attack?
Part 3: Can Brighton teenagers become key men?
Part 5: Willian deal allows Silva to now focus on defence
Part 6: Why Howe is targeting Barnes