Real Madrid vs Chelsea: Five things we learnt from pre-season friendly defeat in Michigan

Many Chelsea players will have put last season to their back of their minds, but Matic is finding it hard to forget.

The Serb has looked a shell of his former self ever since Jose Mourinho’s decision to substitute him on and then off in last October’s defeat to Southampton.

Tonight, after mere minutes, a moment of indecision that would have been so rare two years ago almost granted Real Madrid an early lead. His display did not improve from there on.

Rebuilding Matic’s self-esteem should be high on Antonio Conte’s list of priorities. If he cannot, you fear for the midfielder.

It is surprising that this even needs pointing out, but Conte’s experiment did not backfire so much as produce absolutely no reaction.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek started up top but had virtually zero impact on proceedings in the first 45 minutes. He was replaced by the more inventive Michy Batshuayi at half-time, and not a moment too soon.

That is not to be harsh on the youngster – it was his head coach’s fault, not his own – but if Chelsea fans are lucky, they will not see the youngster deployed in the forward line again.

To be fair to the Italian, despite a questionable starting line-up, he made the right substitutions. His changes at the break, in particular, improved Chelsea's display.

Conte's men looked steady in the second half, with Michy Batshuayi and Juan Cuadrado providing the genuine attacking outlets that were missed in the first 45.

What his side really needed, however, was composure and they found it in Nathaniel Chalobah. The 21-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Napoli, brought calm to a previously scatty midfield and contributed some clever, penetrative passes.

By the time Eden Hazard entered the fray, Chelsea had something to build on and the Belgian's two late goals made the scoreline respectable.

As things stand, it will be John Terry and Gary Cahill in the centre of defence come Chelsea’s curtain-raiser in a fortnight.

A centre-back, possibly Kalidou Koulibaly, arrive in the meantime but you feel that, more than anything, Conte is counting on the return of the injured Kurt Zouma.

The young Frenchman possesses the athleticism that Conte’s current pairing desperately lack. He is the rock on which the Italian will build his defence, yet the cruciate ligament injury he sustained last season will keep him out for a few months more.

How Terry and Cahill cope in the meantime may define the start of Chelsea’s campaign.

Ola Aina’s emergence from the club’s academy is promising in and of itself but this friendly reminded us that he only a rookie.

Marcelo had free reign on Madrid’s left flank in the opening stages and punished the 19-year-old, who was shown time and time again just how hard it is to shackle an elite-level opponent.

Like in the case of Loftus-Cheek, it is hard to blame the youngster. If Branislav Ivanovic’s shoulder injury grants Aina some minutes in the opening weeks of the season, his Chelsea team-mates will need to offer him greater protection.