In case you missed it, Chelsea played Bayern Munich in their second pre-season friendly. The game was part of the International Champions Cup and hosted in Singapore. The Blues lost 3-2 to a strong Bayern side.
After Chelsea’s breezy 3-0 win against Arsenal last weekend, the team was expected to come out and challenge the Bundesliga champions. This didn’t happen. From the outset, the Blues were sloppy and allowed Bayern Munich to dominate. Within 12 minutes, Chelsea were 2-0 down.
The game itself was helpful in highlighting the progress of the team. Yes, it was only a pre-season friendly, but what is the point of such matches if not to emphasise areas for improvement and show what already works?
The two youngsters, Jeremie Boga and Andreas Christensen, did well. They fit into the team and performed as highly as could be expected. Boga had impressed with his performance against Arsenal and came into this game with the same intentions. Whilst his skill was not as prominent, he was playing a tougher opponent. He worked hard, fought for the ball and matched the efforts of his more experienced teammates.
Christensen arguably had an even tougher job in being the centre-back to stand in for David Luiz. All of the defensive players were below average and he was no worse. Overall his game was promising despite being shaky. Both of these youth players showed that they are capable of earning a place in the team.
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It won’t come as a surprise, though, to hear that this game emphasised the importance of utilising this transfer window. Every fan has repeated it but it remains true: we need wingers! Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses were both outplayed in almost every aspect of the game. Alonso in particular was unsure of himself and struggled to dominate his position.
Although he scored a goal, it was a poor consolation for how he executed his actual role. This is not to discredit the talent of both players, but it would be foolish to accept that they alone are strong enough to develop this formation next season.
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Playing a team like Bayern Munich in pre-season is helpful to compare league strength with the very different strength needed in European football. Chelsea and Antonio Conte will want to seriously challenge in the Champions League and will need reinforcements to do so. They will stand no chance if they cannot provide the options needed to keep the team fresh and threatening.
Paradoxically, this loss to Bayern also showed how promising Chelsea’s transfer window has been – particularly in the example of Tiemoue Bakayoko. He did not play due to injury, but Cesc Fabregas did not have a great game, which alludes to how important Bakayoko could be. Fabregas is a key player for his offensive vision and he still managed to make some fantastic passes despite an average performance.
But, as was the case last season too, he often leaves Kante alone in the defensive duties of the pairing and opposition can drive much further forward in these cases. Bakayoko can hopefully provide the support Kante needs and, if ever played in a 3-5-2, can allow Fabregas the freedom he craves to move forward rather than tracking back.
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In context, this game didn’t matter. It’s easy to panic when the team looks so disorganised but that’s why pre-season practise is so important. There’s nothing to worry about. For the long-term, however, the loss helped outline some positives and negatives that Chelsea face.