Enzo Maresca has two-day period to conduct Chelsea experiment with Xavi Simons and Joao Pedro

Chelsea's players are currently enjoying their holidays following a gruelling 2024/25 season that lasted a remarkable 330 days. A total of 64 matches were played by the Blues in all competitions - culminating in that FIFA World Cup final victory over Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month.

This summer represents a bit of an unprecedented period for Enzo Maresca and his squad, with a very little pre-season before the 2025/26 campaign gets underway. Due to Chelsea's involvement in the Club World Cup, the Blues will take part in just two pre-season matches, on August 8 and 10, at Stamford Bridge.

Those that featured at the recently-concluded Club World Cup are due back at Cobham to train on August 4, football.london understands, just four days before they take on Bayer Leverkusen in the first match of the VisitMalta Weekender. Just two days after, the Blues then go head-to-head with AC Milan in the same tournament, with the match on August 10 taking place exactly one week before the side's Premier League opener against Crystal Palace in SW6.

The two matches will give the players a much-needed warm-up ahead of the new campaign but it will also hand Maresca an opportunity to experiment a little bit with his ever-changing squad. The likes of Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Dario Essugo were all used at the Club World Cup recently, but fellow new signings Jamie Gittens and Estevao Willian have not had the chance to work with the Italian just yet.

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Gittens is a left-sided winger while Estevao naturally plays on the right, so it seems fairly certain they will have fixed positions in the Chelsea squad. What is less certain, though, is where Xavi Simons will play - if, of course, he is signed by the Blues. The west London club have recently opened talks with the 22-year-old's representatives over a possible move to Stamford Bridge this summer, football.london understands.

There have been positive talks thus far with Simons keen on joining Chelsea as he seeks to leave RB Leipzig. There have not been any direct club-to-club talks between the Blues and the German outfit, but they will commence once an agreement over personal terms - which is expected to get done - is reached.

Simons is naturally a No.10 but is very versatile across the attacking line - one of the numerous attributes attracting Chelsea to the Netherlands international. He can also play on either wing, although he has played a considerable amount more on the left-hand side over the years.

Some people online have questioned where Simons fits in at Chelsea but over the course of what is - yet again - expected to be an extremely busy season, there should theoretically be plenty of game time for the Barcelona academy product. It could be the plan to use Simons on the left more often than not given the lack of options out there, and a possible loan for Tyrique George to come.

Joao Pedro, who was used as the No.9 during his first three appearances for Chelsea at the Club World Cup, can be used just behind the striker. As can, of course, the brilliant Cole Palmer. So these two matches - given Chelsea have got no others before the new season begins - will be imperative for Maresca and for supporters to gauge how the head coach plans on using his attackers.

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