The Chelsea fans in the Transfer Tavern are feeling pretty disappointed this afternoon…
The Blues’ pre-season has been stellar so far, with a host of new signings moving to the club and a couple of excellent victories already in the past.
A dominant 3-0 victory against Arsenal last week proved that last season was no fluke for the Blues, but with games now coming think and fast between now and the start of the Premier League campaign, every fixture is important.
Unfortunately for Antonio Conte, his side suffered their first defeat of the summer earlier today against Bayern Munich, with the German side coming out 3-2 victors on a warm night in Singapore.
It was certainly a game of two halves, with Chelsea struggling in the first half before dominating in the second period – with a goal coming in each half for the Premier League champions.
Still, despite the loss, there is a host of things that Antonio Conte can take away from the game, and there are a number of things that we – as spectators – learned from the game.
With that said, here are 3 things we learned from Chelsea’s 3-2 pre-season defeat against Bayern Munich…
The Kids Are Alright
Antonio Conte opted to give a start to two of Chelsea’s best young players – Jeremie Boga and Andreas Christensen – and both looked good.
Jeremie Boga, in particular, was very good for the second game in a row, with the Frenchman pulling all of the strings going forward before being hauled off in the second-half.
Though the scoreline didn’t reflect it, Christensen also had a decent game and looked solid – even if his defensive partners didn’t.
Mario Pasalic, Lewis Baker and Fikayo Tomori also impressed in their limited time on the field.
All in all, it was a solid run out for the youngsters – and Conte will be pleased. Now the Chelsea fans in the Transfer Tavern can’t wait to see more of them!
Exploited At The Back
Whilst Andreas Christensen looked good, his defensive partners failed to shroud themselves in glory.
Marcos Alonso, despite his goal, looked really poor – and was often exploited down the left-hand side.
Likewise, Victor Moses struggled early on before coming into the game a bit more, and Cesar Azpilicueta put in an out of character display – often struggling with the Bayern attack.
There’s no need for Conte to panic yet, but his defence looked poor today, and the Chelsea fans in the pub are slightly worried.
Alvaro Morata
Chelsea’s latest signing, Alvaro Morata, got his first minutes in a Chelsea shirt – and he looked excellent. He was involved throughout for the 30 minutes he was on the field, excelling with the ball at his feet.
He didn’t bag a goal, but for an initial showing, he certainly looked on par with Michy Batshuayi – who is several weeks ahead in terms of his preparation for the new campaign.
Time will tell how this deal works out, but the first signs are all good.
