This week's final two pre-season fixtures will offer clues to what the Chester FC team will be for the first game of the 2015-16 season, says Jon McCarthy.
First-team coach McCarthy has been in charge for the past two matches and has given detailed reports to manager Steve Burr, who will be back in the dugout when a Liverpool under-21s squad that could include first team stars visit the Lookers Vauxhall Stadium on Wednesday.
Chester then host Crewe Alexandra on Saturday before the new National League campaign starts at home to Braintree Town on August 8.
Although some positions appear to have been secured, others are more difficult to call and McCarthy admits the squad are now in competition with each other to cement those remaining starting spots.
On the evidence so far and assuming the manager goes with a 4-3-3 formation, Ian Sharps and Michael Kay are contesting a place in central defence while Craig Hobson or Craig Mahon are battling for the left-wing berth.
McCarthy said: "We don't shy away from it. There are players in there who are against each other.
"As a group we need to stay together and be strong, and anything that threatens the culture and that cohesion we would challenge. They need to be close-knit and I think we've got that right at the moment.
"We've got two big games now and people will start to read some things into the manager's decisions on Wednesday and Saturday, and rightly so.
"It will start to take some shape and he'll start to put out the team, and he'll want to play them for a little bit longer, that he's thinking of going with against Braintree.
"There's no point in hiding away from that, that's where we are at. We'll have come conversations and some decisions will be made on players and we'll have those openly and honestly."
Chester won 4-1 at Bower Fold on the weekend, although struggled to impose themselves until Jordan Chapell's quick-fire double in the 35th and 38th minutes.
Adam Farrell got one back for the hosts but two goals in the opening five minutes of the second-period from Sam Hughes and Craig Hobson sealed the win.
Following narrow defeats to League One opponents Oldham Athletic and Rochdale, the Blues have since beaten Trafford, Hednesford Town and Stalybridge, and McCarthy has been pleased with what he has seen.
He said: "We had two difficult games against opposition from a higher level which we only lost 1-0.
"We're a bit disappointed with the goals in those games but the teams we played against had dominated the possession at times and we were resilient and able to cope with that.
"These three games were games that really we should win and we have gone and won them.
"I would argue that Stalybridge are the best team. With Liam (Watson) and Dom (Morley) in charge, they will produce a team that competes at his level.
"It was more physical, they caused us a few problems. I don't know whether it was tactically, I don't think we passed the ball too well in the first-half and we made too many mistakes.
"When we got that right and we got some people in position to receive it, our quality did show."
