Rakuten Cup: Barcelona 1-2 Chelsea - 3 Barcelona players that were the most disappointing
Ernesto Valverde's men kicked off their preparations for next season with a friendly fixture in the Rakuten Cup against Chelsea in Japan.
While their Premier League opponents have been in action for the last one week, the Catalans were playing in their first preseason fixture and the difference was clear, as Chelsea players looked more match fit and in form than their Barcelona counterparts.
The game ended with a 2-1 victory for Chelsea, with goals from Tammy Abraham and Ross Barkley settling the contest, while Ivan Rakitic gave Barcelona a late consolation.
There were a number of players who would have impressed Valverde with their performances like Frenkie de Jong and Malcom, but he was have been disappointed by the output of some of his players.
In this piece, we shall be highlighting three players who performed below par in the game against Chelsea.
#1 Ousmane Dembele
Ousmane Dembele is very much on a short lease at Barcelona, as his persistent injury troubles and disciplinary issues have not allowed him to blossom in a Barcelona shirt.
This lease has been made even shorter by the arrival of Griezmann and proposed transfer of Neymar and as such, every opportunity presented Dembele in a Barcelona shirt is one he should grab with both feet.
The 22-year-old was handed a start against Chelsea but failed to pull his weight, wasting a number of good chances in the first half, while also showing selfishness on occasion by electing to go for goal rather than pass to better placed teammates.
He was substituted at half-time for Carles Perez and the youngster arguably performed better than him while another competitor for starting shirt; Malcom also created the assist for Barcelona's goal.
Given that Dembele ended last season on the injury table, the match against Chelsea offered a chance to prove his worth to Valverde but this is an opportunity that he spurned.