Chelsea rule out summer tour to avoid post World Cup burn-out
Blues hope to keep internationals fresh
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Chelsea are not set to go on a money-spinning foreign tour this summer as they look to avoid squad burn-out next season.
According to The Evening Standard, the Blues have decided that with a shorter pre-season due to the World Cup, they will not travel to Asia or the USA as in previous seasons but instead play a series of one off games in Europe.
Trips to North America and South East Asia have been financially rewarding and given Chelsea a great opportunity to increase their global fanbase.
Last year Chelsea went to both continents, playing seven matches and covering more than 23,000 miles.
But with the majority of their squad involved in the World Cup in Brazil, which will also delay holidays and the date players report back for training, a lighter schedule is being planned.
They did the same thing after the World Cup in 2010, with games against Crystal Palace, Ajax, Frankfurt and Hamburg before they played Manchester United in the Community Shield.
An announcement on Chelsea’s pre-season is expected later this month but with the club leading the Premier League by seven points, there is a possibility they will be involved in the annual encounter at Wembley again.
Chelsea will hope that by staying in Europe they can gain an advantage over their rivals who are still going on tours this summer. Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool are all competing in the International Champions Cup in the United States, which Chelsea played in last summer.
Tottenham are also off to the States in July to play friendlies against Seattle Sounders and Chicago Fire. Arsenal have yet to announce their pre-season plans.
Meanwhile, Marco van Ginkel still faces missing out on the World Cup despite recovering from a knee ligament injury.
The Holland midfielder, who joined from Vitesse Arnhem for £9million last summer, recently returned to full training after being injured against Swindon in the League Cup in September.
Van Ginkel is desperate to resume his Chelsea career and to prove his fitness in order to earn a spot in Holland’s squad. He already has two caps and hoped the move to Stamford Bridge would enhance his chances of playing in Brazil.
However, with Chelsea involved in a tight title race and the nature of his knee problem having been so severe, it is unlikely he will be risked.
Assistant manager Steve Holland said: “The injury he had was a nasty one, an injury that 15-20 years ago finished your career. These days, with the advancements made medically, that’s not the case and you return almost as good as you were previously.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments