Chelsea full-back Cesar Azpilicueta has given fans thought of what new manager Frank Lampard is expecting of his players ahead of his first game in control.
The Blues on Wednesday start their pre-season against Bohemians, Lampard having just led his first training a week ago.
Furthermore, Azpilicueta says the Chelsea legend had an extremely basic message for his players from the get-go – to play with high intensity and dominate rivals.
‘I’m really looking forward to the new season,’ Azpilicueta said.
‘We’ve all had a good break, which was needed after a long season with the Europa League running until the end of May.
‘It was great to win a trophy to finish with and now we are all ready and raring to get back at it. It’s always a lot of hard work during pre-season but it’s the work you have to put in, to create a good base for our physical condition.
‘He wants us to play with high intensity and we want to be dominant in games, the manager has explained how he wants us to play and we are all enjoying the camp so far.’
Chelsea have six pre-season matches got ready for the weeks ahead. Their short Ireland visit will see them play Bohemians and St Patrick’s Athletic.
From that point onward, they face a lot stiffer test in Barcelona, before playing Reading and Red Bull Salzburg. They complete pre-season with a match against Borussia Monchengladbach.
Chelsea’s Premier League season kicks off against Manchester United on August 11.