FA Community Shield 2018: 5 talking points on Chelsea's performance

#3 Chelsea far from finding their best eleven

Sarri is yet to find his ideal combination

If preseason is any evidence, Chelsea is far from finding their best eleven for the upcoming season. There are multiple positions up for grabs and Sarri might be forced to try out different players in different roles in order to find the perfect balance for the team.

In defence, Andreas Christensen could push either of David Luiz or Antonio Rudiger out of the side. Luiz and Rudiger, with all their ball playing ability and physical dominance, often lack concentration or positioning sense which may put pressure on the team.

Christensen is an excellent reader of the game and equally good at passing the ball through his feet. Chelsea needs a center back who is good at reading the game at the heart of their defence. Premier league teams rarely fail to punish defensive errors and Chelsea needs to get their combination right.

Also at fullback, Marcos Alonso has a lot of qualities but pace is not one of them. In a high pressing system that Sarri employs, he might struggle to get back to support his backline during counterattacks. Emerson could be an option for the manager because of his pace and attacking qualities.

Midfield, as discussed previously in the article, could see an addition late in the transfer window. Chelsea needs a midfielder who can link up effectively with the front three and complement the team's pressing in the opposition half.

With Willian, Pedro, Hazard and Callum Hudson-Odoi ending up as winger options for this season, this area of the squad might not need a lot of attention. It is the situation at Center forward which can cause a severe headache.

Alvaro Morata is still struggling with his finishing and looks to be lacking in confidence whenever he sets out on the field.

Other options at center forward include Michy Batshuayi, Olivier Giroud and Tammy Abraham. Abraham might have to go on loan for another season and Chelsea's striker options look to be Morata, Batshuayi and Giroud for the upcoming season.

Batshuayi may displace Alvaro Morata out of the starting lineup as the season progresses as his poaching and deadly finishing ability will complement the team more than Morata who might be a better all-round player but struggles with his finishing at times, the most important characteristic for a striker.