The time of Frank Lampard at Chelsea begins with the bohemian confrontation in Dublin | Dominic Fifield | Soccer

For Frank Lampard, it all began with a rather indescribable draw under a slate-gray sky in the unlikely setting of Phibsborough, in the north of Dublin. The Chelsea striker, now the head coach, saw his new charges spotted late by Bohemians with a goal scored by a judge in the field in minutes. The locals welcomed the choir "You're going to be fired in the morning," which might have even caused an ironic smile on the part of visitors.

It was a modest environment to start his second coming, even though the reception granted Lampard an interview after the match, suggesting that the feeling of joy that accompanied his appointment was hardly diminished by his failure to win. win a victory. The hosts concluded with Evan Ferguson, a 14-year-old substitute, who tried a vicious shot before Eric Molloy, who once worked part-time in a chocolate factory and just returned from New Zealand, much to the delight of his mother in the main stand.

The Bohemians, a team in full national season, had impressed as the game progressed, but Lampard will not be afraid too much. It was the first step of a pigeon in what was going to be a tough season, a campaign that will truly test his skills as a coach. "We have high standards and we brought them here," he said. "We need intensity in our game and I am delighted with the way they worked and their attitude. Fitness was our problem. "

Grander opportunities are waiting for us. The Chelsea bus dropped off the evening's team in the parking lot outside the stadium about an hour before kick-off, allowing them to make their way through the field as the drizzle summer degenerated into a deluge. Lampard, his hands initially sunk into the top of his white tracksuit, had been serenaded by the travel stand of the Kelly Carpets stand. He had gathered a wave of thanks and a smile before descending into the dressing room of the home and the players' bar, which had been attributed to the visitors given the size of their group.

Bruce Buck was a bit more damaged, a balaclava lifted, even with a security man protecting him under an umbrella, before retiring to dry, in front of a crowded board of directors, alongside the technical advisor and performance recently named, Petr Cech. The crowd may have fallen well short of its reception capacity, but anticipation was still strong. Pre-season encounters are not a definite indication of what will happen, but a friendly match with the currently third team of Division 1 of the Irish League would give at least one first public overview of the strategy and approach, even in embryonic form.

The tactic will evolve as more and more players find their homework and form, and there were only two winners in the Europa League in their first formation, but it was a Lampard 4-2-3-1 that followed the 4-3-3 of Maurizio Sarri. N & # 39; Golo Kanté, one of only 13 players who only arrived in Dublin on Monday, is expected to return to his central midfield position after dropping the season in a more offensive brief of the season. just under the Italian.

The head coach will have Mateo Kovacic and Jorginho available for Saturday's follow-up against St Patrick's Athletic. In their absence, it was the first knockout for the people set aside under Sarri. Danny Drinkwater made his first appearance since appearing in Community Shield last season, anchoring the midfielder alongside Ethan Ampadu, who had represented Wales more often than Chelsea last time. The first was naturally rusty, but there was occasionally a cross pbad to catch the eye, and a forward momentum that let the spirit drift to happier times in the winning title team, Leicester.

Conor Gallagher, player of the year at the academy in Chelsea, has summed up the dynamism and urgency that Lampard expects from the middle. Then there was Michy Batshuayi, who had previously sealed the Premier League title for this club, but who had been loaned more recently to Borussia Dortmund, Valencia and Crystal Palace, lurking forever on the center's shoulder gypsies. It was the Belgian who conceded Kenedy's deflected shot eight minutes later and brought home the first goal that Lampard had celebrated as head coach. He and his staff escaped uncomfortably from their hangover, an expanse of empty seats in the deserted gallery behind their backs.

The presence of the French international Kurt Zouma and Tiémoué Bakayoko recalled the number of promising talents accumulated, often at great expense, by this club over the years. Bakayoko would draw a smart backup of James Talbot. Billy Gilmour, a Scottish Under-21 international, would repeat this round before Molloy came late. The first Lampard victory will have to wait.