Well talking of players needed, I thought there was a BBC2 programme scheduled for August about our academy. Anyone know when it's on?

Well talking of players needed, I thought there was a BBC2 programme scheduled for August about our academy. Anyone know when it's on?

According to Matt Woosnam on The Athletic Andersen has a slight calf strain and Luka is injured as well.

Edited by doombear (10 Aug 2021 12.52pm)

It often used to be said that the absence of pre-season training was a big problem for a player, and that those who missed it would often not catch up properly for months, if at all, as the hard and heavy running that supplied your base fitness level would be ill-advised once the season started.

Modern times seem very different though. Players are fitness tested at the end of a season and expected to keep ticking over and return as fit as they were when they left. I shouldn't imagine Benteke and Andersen, who both had extra time off after the Euros, were ever likely to spend time running up hills to build up a base of fitness, and I wouldn't be surprised to see either or both feature at Chelsea. If they get left out it may be simply because other players have had the benefit of more time and practise adjusting to the managers system, rather than for reasons of fitness (though I'm sure both would have preferred a pre-season game or two for sharpness).

The question with Olise is whether his injury has prevented him from ticking over. If he has had to rest entirely then even at his young age he might be off the pace once the injury clears up, and some way from the kind of sharpness even a (seemingly very) talented player will need to step up to the top flight for the first time. He also hasn't played a minute with his teammates or in the managers system, so I can understand if he doesn't get a game straight away.