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What's the story?
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard expressed his contentment on the squad's preparations and work ethic after their 2-1 victory against Barcelona, notably praising the performances of Mateo Kovacic and Tammy Abraham.
The former Blues midfielder also claimed that all the hard work off the pitch paid off against Blaugrana, but added that there's still work to be done ahead of Chelsea's opener against Manchester United in the Premier League.
In case you didn't know...
Chelsea rounded off their pre-season in Japan with a victory against Barcelona, that in turn led them to win the Rakuten Cup. After succumbing to a defeat against Kawasaki Frontale, the Blues came out in high spirits to inflict damage on the La Liga champions.
Goals from Tammy Abraham and Ross Barkley helped the Blues to victory. Lampard and his team trained hard, overcame tough and humid conditions, and played with tons of intensity to end the tour on a high.
The heart of the matter
As a result, the manager was in high spirits. He said:
"I’m very happy. It’s been good on pitch and off pitch. Especially today, I saw a lot of signs from the work we have done which is very good. There is more work to do but it’s been a good trip."
Impressed with Mateo Kovacic, Lampard explained:
"I thought he was outstanding in the first half. I really liked Kovacic last season, I watched Chelsea a lot. I saw lots in his game I really liked and what I’ve found here on this tour from the first day he turned up is a hungry attitude, desire to work and an incredible talent on the ball and I want to work with him and help him improve."
"I think there’s so much talent there and I really like him. I’m really pleased, we know we’ve got numbers in midfield areas but I can’t help but be excited by some of the elements in his performance today and I think there’s even more to come."
The Chelsea manager also opined on goalscorer Abraham, adding:
"I’m very happy this evening. Tammy is a goalscorer, hungry for goals, constantly wanting to score. I saw that in the Championship last season, he’s proven that and now it’s his time to prove it at Chelsea. Confidence is big for goalscorers so to get his goal will put him in good stead."
What's next?
The Blues have landed in England ahead of their friendly against Reading which is scheduled on Sunday.
