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With the lack of first team players available and the slow build up to the season, Chelsea have had a difficult pre-season losing all of the matches at reserve and senior level so far.

Whilst these games are more about the return to fitness than the result, I am sure that the confidence of the players and fans alike will receive a welcome boost should Chelsea get a result in either of the two games that precede the start of the Premier League season.

The first game up is in Germany against Hamburg in a game that I expect will feature the strongest side of the pre-season too far.

However the headline game of the week ahead will be the Charity Shield this Sunday, for Chelsea fans in the U.K there will be no need to provide directions or a guide of the venue. With 7 appearances in 3 years, Wembley can surely now be known as Stamford Bridge II.

This means that this Sunday I will be following my Wembley routine, arrive in London early and head to the Globe on Baker Street, spend 3 hours with the 200+ Chelsea fans that will congregate, singing songs and drinking beer, before taking the short tube journey to Wembley.

Failure to win any games in pre-season will not mean the club is doomed this season, but it would be nice to start the campaign on the right note against Manchester United.

Wycombe in Action

A Chelsea XI travel to face Wycombe tommorow in what is technically a senior game, however it is unlikely that the full team squad will be used in avengence until the games in Germany.

Instead I expect to see another young side, choc full of youth and potential.

However the first team squad is now back in training and with all the injuries that seem to be hitting the squad, fitness is going to be important and I it is possible that some players will receive some game time.

Although I expect whatever side put out will beat Wycombe, I would again reiterate my assertion that this is for the large part irrelevant.

Based 30 miles from Stamford Bridge at Adams Park, Wycombe will be playing in League Two next season meaning that with their season starting earlier they are likely to be further along in their preparation for their new season than Chelsea.

As a League Two side they do not have any names that stand out on their payroll, however expect a side looking to compete and enjoy their run out against the Champions of England.

It will not be glitz and glamour but Chelsea in some form will be in action tommorow.

For the second successive season, Chelsea scheduled at least one pre-season friendly, away from home against Championship opposition.

These games against Reading in 2009 and Crystal Palace this season took place relatively close to Stamford Bridge and attracted thousands of Chelsea fans eager for a return to any football after a summer without domestic football.

These normally low-key affairs have been transformed by the abnormally large turn out from the Chelsea faithful, singing loudly and with a veracity that belies the occasion, these games have taken on a carnival atmosphere.

This is increased by the fact that unlike most games during the season; almost any fan can get a ticket as demand from opposition fans is nowhere near enough to fill the ground.
Also unlike the games held overseas or during the season, these games are priced at under half the price of a normal CFC match ticket, meaning that families and those priced out of Stamford Bridge can afford a Chelsea day out.

Crystal Palaces are one of the teams that have been struggling financially recently, going into administration within the last 12 months this fixture against Chelsea attracted over 21,000 fans in a major cash life raft for the Championship side.

With these factors in mind I hope that next year without the shadow of a World Cup affecting the fixture planning, the club will merge the needs of the commercially driven overseas tour with the gesture of a local pre-season friendly that benefits Chelsea fans and the host club alike.

It was the sight that every Chelsea fan had been longing for, Michael Essien back playing for Chelsea. After a lengthy lay off he played an hour of the first pre-season fixture of the campaign against Crystal Palace capping his return with a smooth finish at the end of a fantastic move from Chelsea’s second or third string striking force.

His return was in a low key game amongst the younger talents at Chelsea, in possession of the captains armband this was a perfect return for the Ghanaian who will be hoping to slowly ease his way back to competitive football.

Michael Essien will be crucial if Chelsea are to successfully chase Champions League and Premier League glory next season, I am sure all Chelsea fans will agree it is brilliant to see him back in blue.

Here is hoping we can see the best of him soon, just to whet your appetite.