Chelsea News: Cesar Azpilicueta reflects on the victory against Barcelona and the performances of Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham 

What's the story?

Chelsea skipper Cesar Azpilicueta has remarked positive opinions from the Japan pre-season tour, where the Blues put forth a scintillating performance to upstage Barcelona by 2-1.

According to the club captain, it's quintessential for the youngsters such as Mason Mount and Abraham, who have impressed in this tour, to take their chances and perform for the first team.

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Azpilicueta also opined that the hard work in training paid dividends, as Ross Barkley and Tammy Abraham hit the target to help Chelsea to the Rakuten Cup.

Chelsea's squad for the tour comprised of a host of youngsters alongside the senior men. They were all given their share of chances by new boss Frank Lampard. Notably, the likes of Mount, Abraham and Michy Batshuayi showed promising moments.

Earlier, Chelsea succumbed to their first defeat under Lampard when Kawasaki Frontale pipped the English giants by a goal. However, they responded in splendid fashion by defeating Blaugrana.

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The heart of the matter

Frank Lampard hailed the effort and intensity shown by the squad, but also named Abraham and Mateo Kovacic as the standout players against the La Liga champions.

Azpilicueta also echoed his manager's sentiments by praising the youngsters. He said:

"They (Mount and Abraham) are two very talented players who had a great path in our Academy. They had great spells on loan last season. The next step is to perform well in the first team at Chelsea."

"They are Chelsea boys, they dream of having the opportunity in the first team, and hopefully they can keep working the way they have been doing since they came for the first training session."

The right-back added a little more on the striker and his morale, asserting:

"A goal is very important for Tammy. He worked very hard for the team but to score gives that boost to the strikers. With Mason’s work-rate and his passing ability, the only way he can go is forward. I am sure they will both be very important for us."

Azpilicueta shed light on the team's performance and intensity levels, claiming:

"There were tough conditions on this trip and with the training sessions but we deserved to win against Barcelona. We played well. We wanted to finish this trip on a high. We have been working hard but obviously you want to win games, and this was a good step forward for the last two weeks before the season starts."

"We can see the signs of the work we have been doing. Since the beginning we have been working very hard with great intensity in every training session."

What's next?

Azpilicueta and Chelsea have flown back to England to prepare for a weekend friendly fixture against Reading.