Chelsea's huge squad raises questions on Premier League's opening weekend; Kylian Mbappe's debut underwhelms

Happy Monday! The European soccer season is officially in full swing and though it was business as usual for most of the continent's top teams, some surprises were sprinkled in during this weekend's fixtures. I'm Pardeep Cattry with the latest.

📺 Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Monday, Aug. 19
🇮🇹 Serie A: Juventus vs. Como, 2:45 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+, CBS Sports Golazo Network
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 EPL: Leicester vs. Tottenham, 3 p.m. ➡️ USA Network
🇪🇸 La Liga: Villareal vs. Atletico Madrid, 3:30 p.m. ➡️ ESPN+

Tuesday, Aug. 20
🇪🇺 UCL qualifiers: Lille vs. Slavia Praha, 3 p.m. ➡️ Paramount+
🌍 Concacaf W Champions Cup: Santa Fe vs. San Diego Wave ➡️ CBS Sports Network, Paramount+

⚽ The Forward Line

🔵 Chelsea's bloated squad looms large

Chelsea's season officially began with a 2-0 loss to Manchester City on Sunday and even though 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 made 10 signings over the summer and entered their opening Game of the season with a 44 player roster, meaning a handful of high-profile players were destined to be excluded from Sunday's Gameday roster. To no surprise, Conor Gallagher was one of them amid Chelsea's back-and-forth with Atletico Madrid over a transfer, but Raheem Sterling notably joined the list of have-nots despite playing in every preseason Game. The exclusion prompted a statement from his team pre-match.

• Sterling's representatives: "He is committed, as ever, to delivering at the highest level for Chelsea FC and the fans, who he holds in high regard, and given his inclusion in official club pre-match material this week, our expectation was that Raheem would be involved in this weekend's fixture in some capacity. As a camp, we have always had positive dialogue with, and assurance from, Chelsea FC in relation to Raheem's future at the club, so we look forward to gaining clarity on the situation."

New Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca fielded questions about his oversized squad, saying he does not know if Sterling will still be at the club by the time the window shuts at the end of the month.

• Maresca: "I don't know. The only thing I can say again is it has been a technical decision and in the next days we will see it and clarify the situation. … I want Raheem Sterling but I want all the 30 players that we have. There is no space for all of them. Some of them have to leave."

Their in-progress summer business overshadowed what may have been an encouraging start to Maresca's time as the Chelsea boss, as James Benge describes it after seeing the game unfold at Stamford Bridge. Romeo Lavia, one of Chelsea's many previous summer signings, stood out and the Blues' game plan meant they could have gotten more out of the game if it was not for some less-than-ideal finishing.

• 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 things went right moans became murmurs of approval as Chelsea pushed possession into the places they wanted to be. Ending the first half with 13 touches in the penalty area, more than City allowed in all bar two Premier League matches last season, was not to be sniffed at. The touch they really wanted in the box never quite came, Enzo Fernandez rather too willing to hurl himself to the deck when Ruben Dias so much as breathed in his direction. Nicolas Jackson continued last season's twin trends of inopportune offsides and high xG misses; still, he is at least getting in the right spots."

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🔗  Midfield Link Play

⚪ Real Madrid drop points in Kylian Mbappe's debut

Kylian Mbappe's La Liga debut finally came on Sunday, but a star-studded Real Madrid were unable to pick up all three points in their first domestic game of the season, tying 1-1 at Mallorca.

Rodrygo scored the game's opening goal just 13 minutes in, setting up for a dominating performance that never quite came. Real Madrid had 65% possession but barely outhsot Mallorca 13 to 12 and were wasteful by the end, putting just five of those shots on target and posting just 0.6 expected goals, fewer than Mallorca's 1.03. Similarly, Mbappe's first La Liga game was a mixed bag -- though he did not put a single one of his four shots on frame, he generated 0.3 expected goals on his own and took 13 touches in the opposition penalty area on Sunday. As Jonathan Johnson writes, he had some promising attempts at goal, too.

• Johnson: "However, it did not take long for the former Paris Saint-Germain man to be involved as both he and Vinicius Junior contributed towards the buildup which eventually ended with Rodrygo putting the away side 1-0 up. A variety of chances across both halves including a save from Dominik Greif meant that Mbappe ended his first La Liga outing without a goal to match his Super Cup strike."

His efforts, though, were eventually canceled out by Vedat Muriqi's equalizer in the 53rd minute, as well as Mallorca's ability to stay competitive despite Real Madrid's dominance in possession. Things got worse for the visitors shortly before the final whistle, when Ferland Mendy was sent off in the 97th minute for a sloppy tackle.

Though the draw means that Real Madrid are a couple of points off top spot, where Barcelona are currently tied on points with two other teams, and Mendy's red card means he will miss Sunday's game against Real Valladolid, it's too early to suggest there are signs of trouble for a new era of the Galacticos. Patience will be key, especially for a team that was wasteful at times en route to winning both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League, even as expectations are at an all-time high.

🔗  Top Stories

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Premier League returns: Reigning champions Manchester City started their season on a high, while Arsenal's Mikel Arteta said their opening weekend win was only the beginning and the jury's still out on Chelsea after their weekend loss.

🇺🇸 Pochettino to USMNT: Mauricio Pochettino might not be in charge by the USMNT's September friendlies but his potential arrival could shake up the roster, especially the goalkeeper pool, and change the Game on their attempt to recruit dual nationals.

🌊 Donovan to the Wave: USMNT legend Landon Donovan is now the interim head coach of the NWSL's San Diego Wave, making him the second temporary boss after Casey Stoney's sudden dismissal 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 over the weekend.

😠 Angry Ronaldo: Cristiano Ronaldo appeared to lose his temper on his Al-Nassr teammates over the 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 over the weekend after picking up two yellow cards in three minutes.

✈️ Sheeran leaves Ipswich: Longtime Ipswich Town fan -- and part owner -- Ed Sheeran was on site for their Premier League return against Liverpool on Saturday, but left at halftime ahead of a sold-out show in Serbia that night.

💰  The Back Line

💵 Best bets

• Serie A: Juventus vs. Como, Monday, 2;45 p.m.
  💰 THE PICK: Juventus to win 2-0 (+490) -- Juventus will officially begin a new era on Monday when Thiago Motta takes charge of his first game as the manager, and expectations are high after leading Bologna to an impressive fifth place finish last season. Motta will have some wiggle room on opening day against newly-promoted Como, who will likely be unable to overcome the talent on Juve's roster, even if it's still very early days under a new manager.
• Premier League: Leicester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur, Monday, 3 p.m.

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

For more picks, predictions, expert tips and the latest betting news, don't miss out on CBSSports.com's betting home page.   

📺 What's on CBS Sports Golazo Network

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