A number of Chelsea players began to crop up in unfamiliar roles earlier this week when the Blues got their pre-season campaign underway.
While a 2-2 draw with Wrexham will not blow anyone away by any means, there were a number of positives to take for Enzo Maresca.
One of those was undoubtedly Reece James’ performance in a new inverted midfield role.
The club captain admitted that he enjoyed the new role, however knew that he had a lot to learn when it came to featuring there.
Another player who found himself playing in a bit of an unfamiliar position is Ben Chilwell, who did a job at centre-back in the draw with the League One side.
Ben Chilwell trains with Chelsea wingers
With there being no natural left-back role on the pitch earlier this week, it looks as if the manager is looking for a new way to get the vice-captain in his plans.
Journalist Feroze Ali has stated that he was training specially with the wingers in the final session before flying to their next game.
He said: “Today was the final training session for Chelsea in California before they fly out to Indiana tomorrow. Some key points from training: Chilwell training with the wingers.”
Mauricio Pochettino was keen to use the England international as a winger early last season, before he picked up a serious injury that ruled him out for a number of months.
It is looking like a big season coming up though for the £50m man, with him looking to prove that he should be ahead of Marc Cucurella in the pecking order.
Tyrique George stars in first friendly
Chelsea supporters will likely not be too keen on the prospect of Chilwell playing out there, especially with some of the competition coming from the academy in that role.
Tyrique George was handed the start in the first friendly, and certainly impressed in his 45 minutes on the pitch.
He will have made sure both Mykhailo Mudryk and Raheem Sterling are looking over their shoulders, with them needing big individual seasons this time around.
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