Two second-half penalties rescued a draw for Chelsea in their final game of pre-season, as Borussia Monchengladbach became the latest team to exploit the Blues’s defensive frailties.
A torrid first-half display saw Chelsea concede for the fifth game running, as Alassane Plea capitalised on a poor clearance to put Monchengladbach ahead after just 13 minutes. The Blues mustered little in way of a reply and were duly punished just before the break when Jonas Hoffman doubled the hosts’ lead with a swift counter.
Despite what the scoreline suggests Chelsea were not overly heroic in their attempts to restore parity, and instead relied upon two hapless challenges from the Monchengladbach defence to claw their way back into the game. Both Tammy Abraham and Ross Barkley dispatched their respective penalties with confidence, but with just a week before the new season gets underway, there was little cause for optimism as the Blues struggled to carve out chances and continued to defend with an amateurish haphazardness.
Here’s how we rated the Blues.
Kepa Arrizabalaga - 6
His distribution contributed to Chelsea’s lackadaisical approach to possession, and whilst he was not drawn in to making too many saves he will be mightily disappointed to have conceded twice.
Cesar Azpilicueta - 6
Both he and Emerson aimlessly crossed balls in to the box without looking up to see where the options were. Lampard likes to push his full backs high and wide in order to create an overlap, so Azpilicueta must learn how to make better use of these situations or else Chelsea’s forward will be starved of service.
Andreas Christensen - 6
On the whole he dealt well with Monchengladbach’s counter attacks, and looked assured in possession. His positioning at times could be questioned, with Monchengladbach enjoying plenty of space in and around the edge of the area, from which runners were able to get in behind.
Kurt Zouma - 6
Used his strength and pace to ensure Chelsea weren’t caught out by the long ball in behind. His defensive work in and around the edge of the area was not aggressive enough and he needed to be quicker to close down the man in possession.
Emerson - 6
Lacked any real purpose or aggression going forward, and this only made his job more difficult when he was caught high up the pitch by Monchengladbach’s counter. He struggled once again to cover the space in behind, letting Hoffman poke home unopposed.
Jorginho - 6
With no one else providing any sort of defensive cover, Jorginho was left exposed to the counter and his situation only improved once Kante was introduced to the fray.
Mateo Kovacic - 6
He wasn’t very progressive in his play, picking the ball up and typically passing backwards or to the nearest teammate. Kovacic can often compensate for his lack of passing range with incisive movement off the ball, but in failing to do even that he couldn’t make any noticeable impact.
The one time he pushed forward with the ball, his close control drew a foul in the box, allowing Abraham to drag Chelsea back in to the game.
Pedro - 5
Whilst taking up some dangerous positions, he was wasteful when presented with the opportunity to test the keeper or find a teammate.
Mason Mount - 6.5
The only player who ever looked to make the run in behind, Mount was met with little support and his efforts thus went to waste. Showed a great change of pace to chop inside and draw Chelsea’s second penalty.
Christian Pulisic - 5
Monchengladbach deployed an effective high press, and as a result Pulisic began to drop deeper and deeper in search of the ball meaning the American was rarely able to break out of his own half.
Tammy Abraham - 6.5
Fed off scraps and some poor defending from Monchengladbach but failed to make too much happen. Dispatched his penalty well but his overall play wasn’t incredibly encouraging.
Marcos Alonso - 6
Offered a good out ball, especially when Chelsea looked to switch play but his touch let him down on a few too many occasions.
Ross Barkley - 7
Especially considering the excellent form he has shown over the course of pre-season, Barkley’s miss surprised almost everyone inside the stadium. Made up for it later on when he drew Chelsea level from the spot.
Kenedy - 5
Made little impact as he looked to move the ball on quickly to his teammates instead of testing his marker down the line.
Olivier Giroud - 5
Could probably count on one hand the amount of touches Giroud had after coming on, he too was unable to get to grips with the tempo of the game.
N'Golo Kante - 6
Was good to see him in a Chelsea shirt for the first time since the Europa League final, and his presence instantly seemed to add more stability to the side as they became less prone to being caught on the counter.