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Chelsea's new boss Frank Lampard has tried to impress his stamp upon this team all of pre-season. Having experimented plenty early on, he seems to have settled on the 4-2-3-1 position which presses high and is keen to attack.
They're a little more than a week away from their Premier League opener and the 3-5 action-packed game against RB Salzburg that ended in Chelsea's favour seems entirely symbolic of what Chelsea's season is going to look like.
Both teams battled hard, and though Chelsea appeared in control for large parts of the game, they seemed completely out of control for short periods. A good match up against a dominant Austrian side who have already started their season last weekend and will play Champions League football this season is a great way to build up to the Premier League.
There's plenty to discuss about this new Chelsea side that seems to have found a good combination of the old and new and is sort of finding its feet. There are, however, 3 major talking points for us to take away from this game.
#3 – Electric midfield for Chelsea
There are many question marks about this Chelsea side but their midfield is packed with quality. Ross Barkley seems to have found his mojo once again and is flourishing in the number 10 role that he loved at Everton.
Christian Pulisic, who has impressed in bits and parts so far for Chelsea also got 2 goals and an assist in the game as he seems an imperious player, especially playing on the left. He was able to constantly find space and receive the ball, once he has it, he isn't afraid to take on players as well.
Throw the young Mason Mount in the mix as well and between the three of them, this midfield could have some serious buzz. You look around them and you see Pedro, Willian, maybe Kenedy, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Callum Hudson-Odoi returning at some point in the season and this attack could really be buzzing.
In deeper positions, Kovacic is looking the part once again, not afraid to bring the ball out from the back, he's showing why Chelsea decided to bring him to Stamford Bridge on a permanent transfer.
#2 – Lots of key positions to decide
Chelsea are set in the goalkeeper position; they have good options for centre-back and right-back as well. The left-back position is currently a toss-up, and Emerson would be the most likely starter, but Alonso could see his fair share of minutes too.
Moving into midfield, Chelsea have a severe problem in the double pivot. The Jorginho - Kovacic combination seems a bit too fragile and may be exposed against bigger teams. Mount-Jorginho has more balance, but it'll require Mount to cover some serious ground over 90 minutes and it's still not convincing. A Kante-Jorginho combination could be on the cards once the French midfielder is back from injury, but we haven't seen enough of it yet to know if that's a winner.
Further up, Chelsea seem to have the wing positions covered. But in the number 10 position, Frank Lampard will have to choose between Mason Mount and Ross Barkley, and both have been seriously impressive in pre-season. At least its a good problem for Lampard to have.
The real head-scratcher is upfront. Most likely Olivier Giroud will start the season for Chelsea upfront, but both Abraham and Batshuayi have made a case for themselves. We may see Chelsea switch to a two striker system mid-game, but for now, Lampard must decide who fits his system best.
#1 – Dangerous going forward, porous coming back
Just give this some thought, Chelsea took 10 shots in the game, 8 of them were on target, of which, they scored five (including an absolute genius goal from Pedro). On the other hand, they allowed 22 shots, of which 10 were on target, and that resulted in 3 goals conceded (that included an Azpilicueta goal-line clearance and a couple of flying saves from Kepa).
By my reckoning, a lot of Chelsea fans are going to have to strengthen their hearts for this season. Lampard's Chelsea can attack, and they have goals in midfield, but that same midfield can't seem to protect the backline, and they concede chances too easily.
The team looks particularly vulnerable in defensive transitions. Its an issue that may be resolved by Kante's inclusion in the side, but Chelsea can't afford that over-reliance.
If the Blues continue to play the way they're going to do so, they're going to be fun to watch this season, but heart-stopping for their fans. If Lampard doesn't address it, we'll see plenty of 3-5 scorelines.
