By this point in the Premier League season, Chelsea manager Frank Lampard will have a good idea of which players he wants to keep and which he wants gone.
The Blues have already been active in the transfer market, luring Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner in already and closing in on Kai Havertz, so it's clear Lampard has been working with his scouts to figure out how to make his team better.
Any Chelsea fan will be able to tell you that there are a few players in this squad who probably should be moved on this summer, and if Lampard is still deciding on any, Sunday's crucial meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers will help him reach a conclusion.
This is how the @PremierLeague table looks ahead of #CHEWOL! ? pic.twitter.com/OcVFBkGD6X
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) July 26, 2020
For the entire season (and most of the last five years), Chelsea have faced questions about the mentality of their squad. Do they really want to play for Chelsea? Are they ready to put their bodies on the line to achieve success? What if they decide not to turn up for a game?
The recent 3-2 and 3-0 losses to West Ham and Sheffield United cast fresh doubts over the commitment of Chelsea's squad. They had the chance to extend their lead in the race for the top four, but instead decided to humiliate themselves by declining to play.
Those lapses in dedication have forced Chelsea down to the wire, and now the Wolves game is as important as it possibly could be. A draw would seal a spot in Europe, but a defeat would open the door for Leicester City to move in.
Chelsea simply cannot afford to turn up. Motivation and intensity should be as high as they ever have been. Lampard only wants players who recognise that, and anyone who doesn't will likely be booted out of the door almost immediately.
We've seen Olivier Giroud battle his way back to the starting lineup and give his all to prove himself as Chelsea's starting striker. Mason Mount dismissed fan criticism to establish himself as one of the club's finest talents. Christian Pulisic has put the team on his back in recent weeks. That's what Chelsea need - someone who wants the battle, someone with a genuine passion for the club.
Anything less than that effort on Sunday, and Chelsea could be playing in the Europa League next season. Transfer dealings could be ruined. There's an argument to suggest that Chelsea's short-term future depends on this result.
Things aren't as serious as in 2003, when Chelsea were effectively told that the club may cease to exist without European football. On that day, the Blues recognised the severity of the situation and picked up a 2-1 win over Liverpool, with Jesper Grønkjær scoring the 'billion-pound goal' to encourage a takeover by Roman Abramovich.
That's what Lampard, who was on the field that day, needs here.
If a player cannot get on that level of intensity and dedication, Lampard will not want them in Chelsea blue. It's as simple as that. For some players, this is the final chance.
It's hard to name names as every player has been guilty of underperforming at times this season. However, a quick Twitter search will show you that Antonio Rüdiger, Jorginho, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Marcos Alonso are some of the biggest names under the most pressure.
A good performance against Wolves would go a long way to winning over supporters, but perhaps most importantly, it would prove to Lampard that they are ready to give their all when the pressure is on.
It's crunch time, and if you can't get up for this one, there might not be any more Chelsea games for you to get up for.
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Source : 90min