Chelsea: Andrey Santos and three key issues Enzo Maresca must address at the Club World Cup
Chelsea's Club World Cup campaign gets underway this evening as they face LAFC in Atlanta, and Enzo Maresca's squad is under more scrutiny than ever.
While the Blues secured their main objective last season by qualifying for the Champions League and winning the Conference League, it was far from plain sailing and there is work to do ahead of the new campaign.
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While Maresca insists Chelsea are chasing silverware in the United States, he may approach this competition as an extension of pre-season. There are several new faces in the squad and some lingering questions that need answering.
Here, Standard Sport breaks down three key issues that Chelsea need to address at the Club World Cup...
Striker conundrum
Nicolas Jackson's claim to the starting striker spot at Chelsea is under pressure.
He finished last season under a cloud, enduring a 14-game goal drought and earning a needless red card which ruled him out of the run-in.
And Liam Delap's £30million arrival from Ipswich means Jackson will face serious competition for his position next season.
one or the other: jackson and delap are the leading contenders to start at striker against LAFC (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
The situation could yet get worse for the Senegalese, as the Blues look to add another No9 this summer.
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After Maresca confirmed the striker role remains up for grabs, it feels like a big summer for Jackson, while Delap will be out to impress.
Goalkeeper spot
Chelsea's goalkeeper situation has been the butt of many jokes in recent weeks.
Four shot-stoppers were named in their squad for the Club World Cup, but they still looked to sign AC Milan's Mike Maignan last week.
Neither Robert Sanchez nor Filip Jorgensen laid a convincing claim to the No1 shirt last season, and now face competition from highly-rated youngsters Mike Penders and Gaga Slonina, while a new goalkeeper could yet join.
Chelsea will enter next season as title hopefuls. To have any hope of making that dream reality, a quality first-choice goalkeeper is a must.
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Sanchez, who finished last season in reasonable form, has been handed the No1 shirt for now, but whether he can live up to it remains to be seen. With plenty of understudies waiting in the wings, there is no room for error.
All smiles? Filip Jorgensen and Robert Sanchez will face fresh competition for their squad standing (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Andrey Santos
Of the countless wonderkids to have been signed by Chelsea and sent away on loan since Todd Boehly's takeover, few are as hotly anticipated as midfielder Andrey Santos.
The 21-year-old Brazil international spent last season at Strasbourg and impressed as the club narrowly missed out on European qualification.
He will play his first competitive minutes for Chelsea this summer, but faces the unenviable task of unseating one of Chelsea's current midfield core - the £274.8m trio of Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez, and Romeo Lavia.
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Santos is far too good to sit on the bench, and knows it - he will not be content to play second fiddle to Maresca's stalwarts.
It is a nice problem for the Chelsea boss to have, choosing between four top-class midfielders, but it must be solved this summer.
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