Kawasaki Frontale 1-0 Chelsea: record, notes and reactions, the Blues suffer the shock of pre-season defeat

Chelsea continued their pre-season preparations with a disappointing 1-0 loss to Japan's Kawasaki Frontale.

The Blues have entered the game after playing two pre-season games. The first was a draw against the Bohemians in the first match of Frank Lampard, before being eliminated 4-0 in their second match against St. Patrick's Athletic.

The Lampard players started the game in a sloppy manner, conceding early chances to Kawasaki Frontale and, although they regained control of possession of the ball, did little to defeat the J-League champions.

Lampard opted for a 4-3-3 formation, with Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic operating a little deeper than adventurer Mason Mount. Midfielder three worked hard in the first half, although opportunities were offered to Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater in the second half.

Despite the introduction of Christian Pulisic, they lacked a decisive advantage. They were punished just minutes from the moment Leandro Damiao nodded at the last post to condemn the Blues to defeat.

Here is the balance sheet of 90min action.

Chelsea

Key discussion point

Lampard will have a lot to discuss with his coaches and players after this performance. Admittedly, the Kawasaki are in mid-season, which was evident by their physical form and the nature of their game. However, a number of individual mistakes have provided opportunities for Japanese training.

The choice of formation will be the main focus of Chelsea supporters, with Jorginho appearing to have a more advanced role alongside Kovacic. At the end of the threeMount had a lot of influence and opportunities at the front line.

A flawless stay

The meeting between Michy Batshuayi and Mount was of particular importance and had to be understood from the beginning. Kenedy also had the opportunity to impress, but he was disappointing in the final, although he took the lead and secured good positions.

Player ranking

From XI: Caballero (7); Azpilicueta (6), Zouma (4), David Luiz (6), Alonso (5); Jorginho (6), Kovačić (6), mount (7); Kenedy (6), Batshuayi (7), Pedro (6)

Substitutes: Zappacosta (6), Christensen (5), Emerson (6), Drinkwater (6), Barkley (8 *), Pulisic (6), Palmer (5), Bakayoko (5), Giroud (6).

MAN OF STARS

For Lampard, much remains to be done, but the new head coach may be excited by some of the performers.

Ross Barkley was particularly outstanding in the second half. The Englishman came up with a point to prove, and he did just that – playing two wonderful pbades of the needle for Kenedy, who unfortunately missed the odds.

The Brazilian started slowly at the start of the first 20 minutes, but was able to match with consistent moves and a direct race.

Another A remarkable performance was that of the young Mount midfielder. The English operated higher on the ground and recovered some nice pockets of space. He and Batshuayi have come together, and the Belgian has been able to use these complex pbades to create opportunities.

Look to the front

Chelsea will seek to improve this performance when they face Barcelona in four days. The Blues have already played three games and have four more before starting the 2019/20 Premier League season against bitter rivals Manchester United.