Chelsea FC: Rating the Blues' Preseason Performance

Chelsea wrapped up their preseason tour in Washington, D.C. on Sunday with a 2-1 win over AS Roma. Although preseason often has little bearing on a team's performance once the regular season starts, it can be an indication of the direction that the team is taking, how well the new players are settling in and what the team might look like this season.

If Chelsea's preseason is anything to go by, fans should feel confident that their team is in great shape in time for next week's kickoff. Here is a report of the club's preseason campaign.

Best Team Performance

With a few solid performances to choose from, it is hard to pick just one, but a quality performance over good opposition makes the standout match the 2-0 victory over AC Milan.

Goals from Kevin De Bruyne and Andre Schurrle secured the win, the former proving his fitness and the latter proving his worth. The match combined a good defensive effort with some nice individual flair.

Worst Team Performance

The worst team performance has to be the only loss of the campaign, as Chelsea were outclassed by Real Madrid in their 3-1 loss.

The defensive prowess that was so evident in the previous match seemed to disappear against Real Madrid. Chelsea will have wanted the win to cap off their preseason, but they won't lose any sleep over it.

Standout Player

There were a lot of positives, such as the always-talented Eden Hazard. Schurrle also played well to show that he will hold his own in the competition for playing time, but the standout player this preseason was Kevin De Bruyne.

Despite some anxiousness over an injury that he sustained in Malaysia, De Bruyne came back in the best possible fashion by scoring a tidy goal against AC Milan.

Weak Area

In preseason play, it is natural that there will be a few cobwebs, so it is no surprise that Chelsea looked a tad lackluster at times.

Chelsea might benefit from one more striker, as they looked short of imagination up front against Real Madrid. The defensive errors might also indicate a lack of depth in the back, so Chelsea will want to hold onto David Luiz in the face of reported interest from Barcelona.

Overall Grade: A

Despite the loss to Real Madrid, it was an incredibly successful preseason for Jose Mourinho's Chelsea. The team will go into the season as one of the favorites for the Premier League and full of confidence that they can challenge for multiple trophies.