Enzo Maresca admits Chelsea's preparations for next season have been "very complicated" after the Blues returned to action less than a month after winning the Club World Cup final.
Chelsea showed no signs of lethargy as they comfortably beat Bayer Leverkusen at Stamford Bridge on Friday night, but Maresca says it's been difficult to prepare for the upcoming campaign.
“Because it is the first time that has happened, we don't have the answer. It is complicated," Maresca said at full-time.
“We arrive here, we start three or four days ago, and we start like we didn't finish. Like a normal week."
Goals from debutant Estevao and second-half substitute Joao Pedro ensured Chelsea coasted to victory against Leverkusen, and they will hope to follow it up with another routine win against AC Milan on Sunday.
“We cannot do pre-season, we don't have time. We have another game Sunday, then we start official games. It is very complicated.
“The sport scientists, doctors, me, we don't know. We don't have the answer, because it is the first game.”
Chelsea go straight into Premier League action next weekend when they host Crystal Palace, and it remains unclear how the schedule will impact Maresca's squad physically and mentally.
Chelsea have already lost defender Levi Colwill to an ACL injury, and keeping everybody fit will undoubtedly prove a challenge in a season where the Blues expect to challenge on four fronts.
With this summer marking the inaugural edition of the Club World Cup, the impact of a domestic tournament that stretches into July is yet to be determined, and there is fair reason to suggest it could derail what promises to be an exciting season for Chelsea.
