Chelsea’s big squad raises questions about Premier League opening weekend; Kylian Mbappé’s debut is disappointing

Happy Monday! The European football season is officially in full swing and while it was ‘business as usual’ for most of the continent’s top teams, there were a few surprises sprinkled throughout this weekend’s matches. I’m Pardeep Cattry with the latest version.

📺 Foot correction

Always US/East

Monday August 19
🇮🇹 Serie A: Juventus vs. Como, 2:45 PM ➡️ Biggest+CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴ꠁԠԠԠԠԠ EPL: Leicester vs. Tottenham, 3pm ➡️ USA Network
🇪🇸 La Liga: Villareal vs. Atletico Madrid, 3:30 PM ➡️ ESPN+

Tuesday August 20
🇪🇺 UCL Qualifiers: Lille vs. Slavia Praha, 3pm ➡️ Biggest+
🌍Concacaf W Champions Cup: Santa Fe vs. San Diego Wave ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Biggest+

⚽ The forward line

🔵Chelsea’s bloated squad looms

Chelsea’s season officially started on Sunday with a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City and while there were some positives to take from the performance, the focus is squarely on the team’s chaotic approach to the transfer market.

The Blues have made 10 signings this summer and have gone into their opening game of the season with a 44-player squad, meaning a handful of high-profile players were destined to be left out of Sunday’s matchday squad. It will come as no surprise that Conor Gallagher was one of those in Chelsea’s back-and-forth with Atletico Madrid over a transfer, but Raheem Sterling notably joined the list of have-nots despite being in played every preseason game. The exclusion prompted a statement from his team ahead of the match.

• Sterling representatives: “He is, as always, determined to perform at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in the club’s official pre-match material this week, our expectation that Raheem would be involved.” Going into this weekend’s match, as a camp we have always had positive dialogue and assurance from Chelsea FC regarding Raheem’s future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation.”

New Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca raised questions about his oversized squad and said he does not know whether Sterling will still be at the club by the time the window closes at the end of this month.

• Maresca: “I don’t know. All I can say again is that it was a technical decision and in the coming days we will see and clarify the situation. I want Raheem Sterling, but I want all 30 players we have.” There isn’t room for all of them.’

Their ongoing summer activities overshadowed what was perhaps an encouraging start to Maresca’s time as Chelsea boss, as James Benge describes it after watching the match unfold at Stamford Bridge. Romeo Lavia, one of Chelsea’s many signings over the summer, stood out and the Blues’ game plan meant they could have gotten more out of the match had it not been for a less than ideal finish.

• Benge: “They weren’t just going to play through the press, they were going to provoke it, even if that made their own supporters grumble. When everything was going well, the groans became murmurs of approval as Chelsea pushed possession where they wanted to be.” Ending the first half with thirteen touches in the penalty area, more than City allowed in all Premier League games last season, was nothing to sneeze at. The ball they desperately wanted into the box never quite arrived, and Enzo Fernandez was all too willing to do so, throwing himself onto the deck when Ruben Dias so much as breathed in his direction. Nicolas Jackson continued last season’s twin trends of inopportune offside and high xG misses, at least he’s getting into the right places.

Sponsored by Paramount+

🔗 Link play in midfield

⚪ Real Madrid drops points on Kylian Mbappé’s debut

Kylian Mbappe’s La Liga debut finally arrived on Sunday, but star-studded Real Madrid failed to take all three points in their first home game of the season, drawing 1-1 at Mallorca.

Rodrygo scored the opening goal of the match in just 13 minutes, delivering a dominant performance that never quite materialized. Real Madrid had 65% possession but barely outscored Mallorca 13 to 12 and were wasteful towards the end, with only five of those shots on target and just 0.6 expected goals, less than Mallorca’s 1.03. Likewise, Mbappe’s first La Liga match was a mixed bag. Although he didn’t put any of his four shots on frame, he single-handedly generated 0.3 expected goals and took 13 touches in the opponent’s penalty area on Sunday. As Jonathan Johnson writes, he also had some promising goal attempts.

• Johnson: “It didn’t take long for the former Paris Saint-Germain player to get involved, however, as both he and Vinicius Junior contributed to the build-up, which ultimately ended with Rodrygo putting the away side 1-0 ahead. A variety of chances in both halves including a save from Dominik Greif meant Mbappe ended his first La Liga appearance without a goal to match his Super Cup strike.”

However, his efforts were ultimately canceled out by Vedat Muriqi’s 53rd-minute equalizer, as well as Mallorca’s ability to remain competitive despite Real Madrid’s dominance in possession. Things got even worse for the visitors shortly before the end, when Ferland Mendy was sent off in the 97th minute for a careless tackle.

Although the draw means Real Madrid move a few points off first place, where Barcelona currently have as many points as two other teams, and Mendy’s red card means he will miss Sunday’s match against Real Valladolid, it is too early to to suggest that there are signs of trouble for a new era of Galacticos. Patience will be key, especially for a team that was at times wasteful on its way to winning both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, even as expectations are at an all-time high.

🔗 Top stories

���� Return of the Premier League: Reigning champions Manchester City started their season on a high, with Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta saying their opening weekend win was just the beginning. the jury is still out on Chelsea after their weekend loss.

🇺🇸 Pochettino to USMNT: Mauricio Pochettino may not be in charge during the USMNT friendlies in September, but his potential arrival could shake up the squad, especially the goalkeeping pool, and change the game in their bid to recruit dual nationals.

🌊 Donovan to the gulf: USMNT legend Landon Donovan is now the interim head coach of the NWSL’s San Diego Wave, making him the second interim boss following the sudden firing of Casey Stoney in June.

🗣️ Wright on Morning Footy: USMNT forward Haji Wright stopped by Morning Footy after scoring for Coventry City in their win over Oxford United this weekend.

😠 Angry Ronaldo: Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to lose patience with his Al-Nassr teammates this weekend as they lost 4-1 to Al-Hilal in the Saudi Super Cup.

🟥 Kaminski sees red: Luton Town goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski was sent off this weekend after receiving two yellow cards in three minutes.

✈️ Sheeran leaves Ipswich: Long-time Ipswich Town fan and co-owner Ed Sheeran attended their Premier League return against Liverpool on Saturday but left at half-time for a sold-out show in Serbia that evening.

💰The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• Serie A: Juventus vs. Como, Monday, 2:45 p.m
  💰 THE CHOICE: Juventus wins 2-0 (+490) – Juventus officially begins a new era on Monday when Thiago Motta takes charge of his first game as manager, and expectations are high after he led Bologna to an impressive fifth-place finish last season. Motta will have some room to play on the opening day against newly promoted Como, who are unlikely to be able to overcome the talent on Juve’s squad even though it is still very early days under a new manager.
• Premier League: Leicester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur, Monday, 3pm

💰 THE PICKI: Son Heung-min scores (+145) — Son Heung-min is one of the most reliable goalscorers of his generation, making him an easy player to bet on. He starts the season with the benefit of having the summer off, so expect him to play a big role as Tottenham look to start their season on a high, especially as heavy favorites against newly promoted Leicester.

Don’t miss this for more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news CBSSports.com’s betting homepage.

📺 What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

☀️ Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10am): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest football storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast formso you never miss an episode again.

3️⃣ Attacking third (Monday, Thursday): The leading ladies football podcast And social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women’s game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will analyze the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic seasons throughout the year. And don’t miss it Wednesday livestreams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.

⚽ Call it what you want (Monday evenings): A weekly podcast featuring Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and friends cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can also watch the show live on YouTube every Monday at 11 a.m. ET.

🥅 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the latest place for fans to keep up to date with all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the best football leagues and all the unmissable goals from the day’s action, which starts on Thursday and airs for seven days a week.

📺 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel solely focused on providing unparalleled coverage of all the top football leagues worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports App, Pluto TV And Biggest+.