Fighting for a future that might not be their own, Chelsea's squad have a big couple of months

It’s hard to know whether it’s the pandemic and the lack of football as a result but there was plenty of excitement surrounding Chelsea’s recent 7-1 demolition job against QPR in a friendly before normal service resumes.

Perhaps it’s a sign that despite the progress made under Frank Lampard this season it’s going to take a while for this fanbase to not get hyped about their academy products. After all, talented teenager Billy Gilmour and the returning Ruben Loftus-Cheek both scored twice in the win.

But now Chelsea need every player at their disposal, not just their academy players.

It’s impossible to judge where Chelsea’s squad are going to be at, as will be the case for every team before they step onto the pitch. Realistically the first week or two are going to be glorified pre-season matches.

However Chelsea don’t have that sort of time, something bigger is at stake.

With nine games to go Chelsea are sitting in fourth, holders of the final Champions League spot. Four points back are Manchester United while Sheffield United are five points off Chelsea, Wolves six back and then you still have Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal. A lot of teams who also could finish fourth.

Before lockdown Chelsea were a bit hit and miss. They beat London rivals Tottenham Hotspur (and former boss Jose Mourinho) 2-1, and knocked league leaders Liverpool out of the FA Cup. However there was also the 2-0 home defeat to Manchester United, and a 3-0 loss to Bayern Munich as well as a 2-2 draw at Bournemouth. The last result was a 4-0 win over Everton at Stamford Bridge but Carlo Ancelotti’s side are as difficult to figure out as Lampard’s.

Much will depend on the outcome of Manchester City’s Financial Fair Play hearing but let’s assume for now that they are in the Champions League next season - meaning fourth is the last place on offer for next season. At this time more than ever that additional money that comes from being in the Champions League is crucial. Clubs are having to face severe revenue drops for the foreseeable future with no fans in stadiums so the extra TV money could be critical in making a difference, particularly in the transfer market.

Now it could be argued that in many ways Chelsea are under less pressure than the rest of their rivals. After all, even without Champions League football they still have the wealth of Roman Abramovich to fall back on.

But actually the Chelsea hierarchy are probably looking at this as a golden opportunity. It has already been widely reported that a number of clubs are looking at stripping back their transfer plans this summer, but Chelsea aren’t going to be one of them. Hakim Ziyech’s signing has already been confirmed as has Timo Werner's arrival.

To follow those two Chelsea are reportedly very interested in signing left-back Ben Chilwell and they’re also in the race for Kai Havertz. On top of that they want to sign a new central defender. Compare that to some of the transfer rumours surrounding their rivals and the difference couldn’t be starker.

The stakes are clear for the Chelsea board. With the additional money from the Champions League they can push even further away from their rivals and take a huge step forward in the second year of the Lampard Project.

The irony of this is that now it all rests on the current playing squad, the ones who might end up losing their starting spots or leaving the club entirely.

Pedro and Willian are technically out of contract in a couple of weeks, what are they playing for now? In fact it was reported late on Wednesday that Pedro has agreed a move to Roma and doesn’t want to play for Chelsea again. Ross Barkley is another who is under pressure, particularly with Loftus-Cheek returning from injury. One of Marcos Alonso and Emerson will go if Chilwell arrives, possibly both if Lampard feels as if Ian Maasten is ready to act as a first-team back-up.

For now the playing squad must turn its attention to Aston Villa and then the rest of their eight remaining fixtures. Ultimately that’s all they can do. Those with contracts expiring at the end of the month need to consider the approach taken by Ryan Fraser and, reportedly, Pedro. They don’t have to follow him, but they need to at least consider it. The rest will have to wait and see what the club decides.

Make no mistake about it then, these next couple of months are an audition for a lot of these Chelsea players. If Lampard wants to take the club back to where it was during his heyday as a player, there are a number of players who need to prove that they shouldn’t be left behind.