If we count the two 45-minute periods of the Soma Charity Tournament in Istanbul as one whole game, Chelsea played nine preseason matches (8-1-1) in a little less than a month. That's a match every three days -- also known as midseason schedule crunch practice -- and two more than we played last summer in the tours of Asia and America combined. That's partly due to staying close(r) to home this year, but also necessitated by the staggered vacations of the multitude of players involved in the World Cup.
In any case, exactly like last season, Chelsea scored 20 goals in the preseason. Diego Costa had four, Terry had three, while Fàbregas, Salah, Ivanović, and Izzy Brown all had a couple. Five others chipped in with a goal each. In order:
- Patrick Bamford vs. Wycombe Wanderers
- Isaiah Brown vs. Wycombe Wanderers
- John Terry vs. Wycombe Wanderers
- Branislav Ivanović vs. Wycombe Wanderers
- Isaiah Brown vs. Wycombe Wanderers
- John Terry vs. AFC Wimbledon
- Mohamed Salah vs. AFC Wimbledon
- John Terry vs. AFC Wimbledon
- Jeremie Boga vs. RZ Pellets WAC
- Diego Costa vs. NK Olimpija Ljubljana
- Kurt Zouma vs. NK Olimpija Ljubljana
- Mohamed Salah vs. Vitesse
- Cesc Fàbregas vs. Vitesse
- Nemanja Matić vs. Vitesse
- Diego Costa vs. Fenerbahçe
- Branislav Ivanović vs. Fenerbahçe
- Ramires vs. Ferencváros
- Cesc Fàbregas vs. Ferencváros
- Diego Costa vs. Real Sociedad
- Diego Costa vs. Real Sociedad
Let's enjoy them all one last time and then consign them to the trash heap of meaningless history. Onwards and upwards!