Jose Mourinho said Chelsea's loss to New York Red Bulls was far more beneficial than a lopsided friendly victory.
Chelsea's first match of the pre-season did not go accordingly to plan, the wasteful Premier League champions punished 4-2 by a second-string Red Bulls outfit in the International Champions Cup on Wednesday.
Loic Remy's 26th-minute opener had Chelsea on track in Harrison, New Jersey, until three unanswered goals from Franklin Castellanos, 16-year-old Tyler Adams and Sean Davis turned the match on its head.
Half-time substitute Eden Hazard gave Chelsea a lifeline, though Davis swiftly put those hopes to bed with 14 minutes remaining.
Despite the second-half performance, Mourinho said: "If we had won 10-0 that wouldn't have been any good. We needed a test and we received one.
"They were sharp, quick high motivation, very happy to play against us and they gave us a better match then we thought.
"I am the manager of the best team of England, we have top players, there are no fragilities.
"We have done 11 sessions in six days. We trust these players. We play this team 10 times we win nine but the second half was a disaster."
Chelsea are back in action against French champions Paris Saint-Germain in Charlotte on Saturday.
