Chelsea

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There are 43 players - and counting - at Chelsea this season.

And Raheem Sterling is included in that number, despite his representatives releasing a statement saying they wanted "clarity" about his role at the club after his omission from Sunday's matchday squad.

So what happens now?

Former Blues goalkeeper Asmir Begovic says the club "have got themselves into a mess" which "is really not sustainable" and has to change.

"You normally get into this at the end of the transfer window when you have got one or two players to sort out and it can create a little bit of unrest within the squad," Begovic told the BBC Radio 5 Live Football Daily Podcast.

"Players will ask questions. Who else is coming in? What is the squad looking like? Are we going to have confidence in the team or not? And I think when you look at Chelsea, the problem is it is not just about one player.

"And then when a player is also doing this during the time of the game, you can see there is obviously dislike between each other. Everything is hanging on this and it's going to be so difficult for them to manage it.

"And as a player, you are not going to move anywhere now that you do not want to. But you are also not going to want to stay anywhere you do not want to be. So the players have all the cards. Either they have to eat a chunk of their salary or ask for a lower transfer fee.

"All of these things now in the next two to three weeks are going to get sorted but it does not help the squad one bit. The fans are unhappy and unfortunately Chelsea have got themselves into a mess because this never used to happen."

Listen to the full discussion on BBC Sounds

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Former Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic says you cannot "properly analyse" Enzo Maresca's team until January because it takes time for a manager to implement ideas and get them working.

But in a debate on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily, the Telegraph’s Luke Edwards believes that in itself is laughable because Chelsea have demonstrated they do not give managers time.

"I do not think with Chelsea we can even analyse them properly until January because it is another new manager with new ideas," said Begovic. "It is so difficult to get ideas across and that showed as the main difference between them and Manchester City.

"One is a well-oiled machine that has been going for years, so has continuity, and then Chelsea are a team that are put together differently every single year."

Edwards added: "I thought Chelsea did OK and they did look like a team. You could see patterns of play and the work he has done with the players in the squad. But to click with another manager in January is not good enough.

"They have said exactly the same things about Maresca as they did for Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino, in that it is a long-term plan. But can you believe them? Not off their track record you can not."

Listen to the Football Daily podcast on BBC Sounds

Highlights and analysis from Sunday's two Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from the rest of the weekend.

If you missed Match of the Day 2, catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

And you can watch Saturday's Match of the Day here.

Listen back to the weekend's full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 2-0 Wolves

• West Ham 1-2 Aston Villa

• Brentford 2-1 Crystal Palace

• Chelsea 0-2 Man City

Atletico Madrid have not ruled out a move for Valencia's 21-year-old Spanish midfielder Javi Guerra as their deal for Chelsea's England midfielder Conor Gallagher, 24, stalls. (Athletic - subscription required, external)

Crystal Palace are leading the race to sign Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka, 20. (Sun, external)

Want more transfer stories? Read Monday's full gossip column

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Chelsea’s starting XI – which didn’t feature a single player over the age of 26 – had an average age of 23 years and 180 days, the second youngest by a team on matchday one of a Premier League season, behind only Manchester City’s team in 2008-09 against Aston Villa (22 years, 360 days).

Tom Mallows
BBC Sport journalist

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Another busy summer transfer window means new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal, but he has been given an early indication of how tough it will be to keep all of his players happy.

The build-up to Sunday's defeat against Manchester City was overshadowed by a statement from Raheem Sterling's representatives calling for "clarity" on his position after being left out of the matchday squad.

As well as the players who are not playing, Maresca also has to try and form a coherent side with those that do.

The Italian did not start any of his new 11 summer signings but brought four on - only the second time a Premier League side has given out as many as four debuts in one match.

Of those four Pedro Neto had the greatest impact, but it is going to take time for all the new faces to settle in.

Chelsea fans may have to be patient and wait a while before they see a return on the club's significant investment.

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Enzo Maresca spoke to BBC Match of the Day after Chelsea's defeat to Manchester City: "The performance was good and we competed against the best team in the world. We played well and created chances. The biggest difference was inside the box and how they managed the ball at the end, they are a master. We don't like to lose games but the performance was good.

"We can for sure improve many things, we've been together for just six weeks. At the same moment, we liked to analyse the game and we tried to play football and create chances. It's not easy but we did well.

"It's always tough because many of them deserve to play from the start. We have another game soon so they have chances to play for sure.

On Sterling's omission, Maresca said: "I didn't see anything because I was focused on the game. It was a tactical decision and nothing more than that.

On Manchester City: "You can see since day one that they continue in the same way. They are a master in everything and they'll continue in this same way."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

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Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

Follow reaction and read the match report

There are two games on the opening Sunday of the 2024-25 Premier League season and BBC Sport will bring you all the action and reaction.

*All times are BST

Follow live here

A new season, and a new challenge for BBC Sport's prediction expert Chris Sutton.

Sutton faced off against a guest for each of the 38 game weeks in 2023-24 and triumphed 21-10 (with seven draws) to secure his second predictions title in a row.

In the first week of the new season, his opponent is The Courteeners frontman Liam Fray.

The pair have both given their prediction for Chelsea v Manchester City on Sunday.

Sutton's prediction: 1-2

Several of Manchester City's stars won't play at all, because they only returned to training this week, but the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Bernardo Silva will be able to play more minutes after featuring as late substitutes in the Community Shield.

I have no idea what to expect from Chelsea, and I don't even know what the club is trying to do any more.

Is their priority to build a team to win trophies, or is there some other business strategy going on?

Chelsea have got some talented players and Cole Palmer will have a say again against his former club, but I still think City will find a way to win it.

Liam's prediction: 0-2

It pains me to say it, but I can't see anything other than another City victory. They are just so strong.

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Nizaar Kinsella
BBC Sport football news reporter

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca came across very relaxed and happy despite facing some awkward questions from the media on Friday.

The Italian has been a good communicator since coming in, with a complete mastery of the English language after his playing days at West Bromwich Albion and spells at West Ham, Manchester City and Leicester.

There is also an authenticity and an unwillingness to avoid difficult questions.

But as Chelsea's project continues to face criticism for stockpiling players and their disruptive approach to transfer activity - he is clearly willing to toe the party line.

That is Maresca as he starts the season, in the honeymoon period and without a body of work to be scrutinised.

Let's see how this season develops as he either thrives on the challenging role - that has seen Chelsea have five managers since this new ownership took over - or struggles in an often chaotic environment.

Chelsea have more the 50 first-team players either at the club or out on loan, which former Premier League midfielder Michael Brown says is a "problem".

He tells The Football News Show why around 18 senior players is best, and the challenges Enzo Maresca faces keeping his squad happy and engaged during training sessions.

Watch The Football News Show on BBC iPlayer

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Who knows what is happening there [at Chelsea]. They are a bonkers football club at the moment in terms of their recruitment and the length of the deals they are handing out.

Their squad is already gigantic and it looks like there are more signings to come - there is talk of a different player joining every day at the moment.

It feels like a really crazy strategy, and I don't understand what they are trying to do. Maybe they will prove me wrong, but I don’t see it getting them into the top four.

Read more from Shearer on the upcoming Premier League season