Chelsea’s preseason marches on with a victory over Reading. What have the Blues learned from this one as preseason winds down?
This is very much the business end of preseason with only two matches remaining before the trip to Manchester United. Frank Lampard used the first half mostly to get one last look at fringe players before making a final decision on them. The second half was used to see a “starting” lineup in the diamond.
The 4-3 scoreline is somehow both flattering and undeserved at the same time. Chelsea looked mostly comfortable throughout and offensively it could have been even higher than four goals. But the defense was completely all over the place on every goal as it appears more work is needed.
Still, it was a good run out for various players and partnerships. Lampard now has just a little bit more information that before as he prepares for the trips to Austria and Germany.
As mentioned, the first half was very much about the fringe of the first team. Kenedy probably did more than enough to stick around until at least January. Davide Zappacosta might have too, depending on what the club plans to do with Reece James (when he is fit that is). Others, such as Olivier Giroud and Christian Pulisic, appeared to be playing simply to get further reps.
The two that really failed to live up to expectations were Danny Drinkwater and Tiemoue Bakayoko. It is still pretty certain that at least one of the two will stay but it is all clear they will be at the bottom of the depth chart. It is not even that either was bad but neither put in a wowing performance at all.
The true standout of the first half was Ross Barkley. Barkley seems to play best when he is given more freedom from defensive responsibilities and he was electric in the first half. He would be a clear starter if Mason Mount did not have an equally solid second half himself.
The second half saw a full outfield swap as the formation went from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-diamond-2. At first, it looked pretty rough and confusing to the players but they warmed up after about 10 minutes. Lampard’s diamond seems to open a spot for Jorginho to play in his traditionally deep play making role while taking advantage of Mount’s boundless energy and ability to turn up in the right place almost supernaturally.
Lampard probably did not find any definitive answers about his fringe players but he will have learned other bits of useful information. Barkley and Mount almost have to both start, either in a diamond or in a band of three. The defense needs to be sorted out, specifically the center backs and their positioning. That may be as simple as finding the right pair to run with. Lampard will have also seen that his squad can adapt between the two formations as well as two different shapes to the attack (previously attacks had been very narrow with only fullbacks wide, today it was wide even without fullback support).
Reading was not the cleanest of games, but it was another solid notch in this preseason’s belt. Salzburg will be tricky opposition midweek and Gladbach will be an even more advanced version of the same. Lampard can use the last two matches to finalize his answers to the remaining questions. Then, it is off to Old Trafford to get the season started proper.