Photo: PierreSelim / CC BY 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons
Chelsea defender Wesley Fofana expressed disappointment after the Blues were beaten 2-1 by Tottenham Hotspur in their final pre-season fixture in Sydney on August 1. Richarlison tapped home in injury time for the ten-man Spurs side to secure the win at Accor Stadium.
Estevao Willian had levelled for Chelsea before Richarlison's late winner condemned Xabi Alonso's side to defeat in what was the club's last pre-season match.
Fofana started at centre-back alongside Levi Colwill, who captained the side for the evening. The French defender played approximately 70 minutes before being withdrawn.
"I thought we played well but for sure, we need to kill the game off," Fofana said after the match. "When they got the red card, that was when we needed to be more mature in our play and control the game. We will learn from this though and it's exactly what pre-season is for."
"We will analyse the game, look at where we can improve and take that into the next game," he added. "Pre-season or not, we want to win. It was a physical game but you expect that from a local derby, even if it was just a pre-season match."
Fofana said the defeat, while frustrating, was part of the preparation process. "We're disappointed to lose, of course, but it's okay. This is what pre-season is about, and it's about getting ourselves ready for the new season. That is what we'll do."
The defender also spoke positively about working under Alonso, who took charge of Chelsea ahead of this season. "With Xabi, he's been amazing with us. Of course, we know how good he was as a player, but as a manager, he's been fantastic so far too. We are learning a lot from him, getting his ideas across and everything is going well so far."
"It's early days, only three weeks or so, but we're excited to work with him and I think things look really exciting for the future," Fofana said.