Chelsea round off their tour of Ireland with a game against St Patrick’s Athletic, who currently sit fourth in the Irish Premier Division.
Wednesday’s far from inspiring draw with Bohemians presented new manager Frank Lampard with a host of issues, that he will have to iron out before the resumption of the new season in just under a month. Whilst fitness and personnel certainly played a part in Chelsea’s performance, it was clear to many onlookers that yet another change in tactic could cause disruptions to a team who had only just started to get to grips with previous manager Maurizio Sarri’s high pressing possession based system dubbed ‘Sarriball’.
More senior players have since returned to training and could well feature for the Blues, although with a packed schedule of pre-season fixtures ahead Lampard may use the game as an opportunity to have one last look at some of the youngsters who impressed against Bohemians.
St Patrick’s season is well underway but they will still be reeling from defeat in the first leg of their Europa League qualifier against IFK Norrkoping, and could themselves field a weakened squad in preparation for the second leg.
