In 18 days’ time, we’ll be kicking off our Premier League season away at Ipswich. Eighteen days – we had shorter international breaks last season – and it’s going to be a big two and a half weeks for the club to ensure we’re ready to go full pelt at Portman Road.
The pre-season trip to the US was obviously primarily commercially driven, and on that score it seems to have been a success. The club’s held events, had digital billboards up in New York – as well as a pop up store – and the Elvis x Graceland
connection’s been prominent, as you’d expect.
I always think of pre-season in two parts – the first few weeks are like a holiday for the fans, particularly if you’ve got a decent tour. Go away for a few days, see some football, results don’t really matter.
For the players, of course, it’s different – all of the hard work is done in those weeks. The games on the field are an extension of that fitness work, and they’re primarily focused on getting through the games intact and building up match fitness.
It’s the final couple of weeks where things start to get more serious – and more interesting, too.
So far, from a footballing perspective, there have been a few little things to pique interest, but with so many players missing from the first game, and then getting back into training, there’s only so much you can expect.
Some players have staked a claim for involvement next season, but have we really learned much we didn’t know already? Probably not. Apart from Luke O’Nien is adept at tying shoelaces around railings.
Over the next week or so, things need to ramp on the field, and it’d be nice to see some progress being made off the field too. Xhaka, Talbi, Alderete and Thomas Meunier will be back in the fold by the time we next take to the pitch – on Saturday at Lens – and with the majority of the squad having some decent minutes in the tank stateside, we’ll begin to get a truer picture of how the team’s shaping up for the coming season.
Off the field, transfers have been slower than many of us would have thought, however we’re in a position we’ve not been in for some time – having a very good squad that we’d like to improve, but is naturally improving anyway.
And, given what we need, it’s probably little surprise we’re taking our time.
Right wing is probably the only first choice position we need to bring someone in, and then you look at strengthening other positions – centre back, left back and striker – and perhaps a more defensively minded midfielder to take the load off Xhaka.
The club will make signings, and unlike last season where we needed to bulid a whole new team, we have the luxury of being able to wait for the right players to become available at the right price, and add them in as we go.
It’s easy to forget that the likes of Alderete arrived in the final week of pre-season, while Geertruida, Traore and Brobbey didn’t come until deadline day. It’s a waiting game at present, and I’m comfortable with that.
For me, the most intriguing thing about the next few weeks – and next season as a whole – is how our squad has improved individually and collectively after a year in the top flight, and for many of them, a World Cup under their belts.
We barely saw the likes of Diarra, Angulo and Ta Bi last season, and all three could make a serious impact this season. Noah Sadiki had a fantastic year, but he’s not maxed his potential out by any stretch, and will come into this season a far better player than the one who went into the last campaign. Chemsdine Talbi will be bursting with confidence – he’s in a far better position to really make an impact on the season than he was last year, while Chris Rigg is ready to play Premier League football – he wasn’t this time last year.
Brian Brobbey wasn’t fit when he arrived – I don’t think he started a game until November – while Robin Roefs has a year’s experience at Premier League level, and international exposure too.
You can throw more names into the mix, including Wilson Isidor, who I fancy could have a bigger role to play this year, given the number of games we’ll have, and Trai Hume, who finished the season very well indeed.
And then you have Enzo Le Fee, who wasn’t even in the team when we started last season, and had to ply his trade on the wing for the majority of the campaign. He’ll likely play much more centrally this season, and can impact games at the very highest level.
So yes, while it would be nice to see a few new faces, it’s important not to overlook the players who are here, who are young and who will naturally get better and better. The Noah Sadiki who started last season won’t be the same player as the one who’ll start this campaign – and that goes for all of the names mentioned above, and more besides.
There’s an awful lot to look forward to, and now the ‘holiday’ element of pre-season is over, I can’t wait for things to get that bit more serious.
