Pre-season match action has begun for the Blues, the first game for Frank Lampard as the new Chelsea head coach. It was the first preseason showdown from a list of many, Chelsea who are looking to kickstart a new era under their very own legend locked horn against Bohemians at the Dalymount Park, Dublin, Ireland, as the players look forward to getting their fitness ready for a very tough season ahead.
Chelsea who ended their season under Sarri on a high have decided to go into a totally new direction in terms of club management and managerial appointment. For them, Frank Lampard was the right man to take the team to greater heights.
Pre-season games have begun for them and today was their first pre-season fixture and obviously the first game for Frank Lampard in charge of the team. Most of the squad are together for pre-season except for some players who were involved with their countries for tournament duties especially Willian and Pulisic who are still away but will be joining the team soon. Their first pre-season campaign began with a game against Bohemians at the Dalymount Park in Dublin, a game that saw Chelsea field a lot of the academy players to impress the new boss. For Chelsea, this game was more about gaining match fitness back and not about the result, as usual, a lot of changes were made before and during the game.
Bohemians who are still in their active season had to honour and be part of Chelsea’s pre-season campaign since they had an off-week this week. For them, it was an honour to play against one of the best teams in Europe and also to keep themselves sharp for their main fixture for the weekend. It was a great game for them to express themselves which eventually led to them salvaging a draw right at the end.
Brief Post-Match Analyses
It was a lively atmosphere at the Dalymount Park, as fans were all excited and buzzing. For the Chelsea fans, it was a joy to witness the first game with Frank Lampard in charge as the manager.
Both teams setup in the same 4-2-3-1 formation. The game began and Chelsea were already trying to make their intentions known right from the start, controlling most of the early parts of the game and getting the deserved goal few minutes into the game. Bohemians had their moments but had to leave it late in the game to cancel out Chelsea’s lead, ensuring that both teams end in a draw.
Michy Batshuayi who has returned from his loan spell at Crystal Palace was preferred to lead the line in the first half, put the blues in front just 8 minutes into the game, rifling the ball into the roof of the net from close range.
Eric Molloy cancelled the Chelsea lead in the 89th minute, doing brilliantly to create space for himself to receive a beautifully weighted pass before firing the ball past the goalkeeper at his near post. 1-1 was the final score.
It all ended in a draw for both teams and for Frank Lampard and Chelsea, it was a matter of gaining match fitness and also accessing some of the academy players and taking note of who is ready to be part of the team and players that need to continue their development. This draw for Chelsea now means that they need to go back to the drawing board and try to improve more on the training ground. For Lampard and his coaching staffs, they have a lot of work to do to get this team ready for the challenge that awaits them when the season begins.
What do you think of this match?