Hong Kong and Indonesia provided the setups for Chelsea’s latest pre season matches under Xabi Alonso.
A tough watch against Juventus, ending in a 1-0 defeat, was quickly brushed aside by a 3-0 victory over AC Milan today.
Here, we will look at five things we learnt from Chelsea’s clashes against the Italian giants.
Palestra Causing Havoc Going Forward
We have to start off by talking about Marco Palestra. Xabi Alonso used a true back three in today’s match against AC Milan for the first time, and Palestra showed his versatility, starting at left wing back.
The Italian international caused constant problems for the defence of AC Milan with his off ball runs. It is one thing making those said runs, but another thing entirely to know when to time them to perfection.
Palestra showed throughout the game today and the prior against Juventus that opposition defenders have big troubles tracking him, often being a step behind mentally compared to the Chelsea man.
The versatility that he is showing in both his positioning and ability on the ball is starting to already become a major weapon for Xabi Alonso, who will often change formation depending on opponent and game state.
He has shown ability in just a handful of games to effectively play left wing back and left back, right wing back and right back, but also make runs inside the pitch into pocket positions, using both his left and right foot to a high level.
Traditional Back Three Benefitting The Defence
Xabi Alonso’s switch to a more traditional back three this afternoon aided the Blues defensive setup and structure.
The cover from the wing backs (Palestra and Neto) meant that the wide centre backs (Hato and Acheampong) had extra protection down the sides on the rare occasions that AC Milan found themselves in attacking scenarios.
Wesley Fofana had a solid game in the middle of the back three, but it was Josh Acheampong in particular who had a standout performance.
Playing right centre back, Acheampong was up against Rafael Leao, and did not commit a single foul, whilst also winning eight out of ten duels, plus, making four tackles.
While the first half took some adaptation going forward, Chelsea ended up leaving the game with six big chances created.
Alonso remarked after the game that the ‘system is not important’ and that it is more about principles, fluidity and versatility.
This approach has been reflected in recruitment this summer, with Chelsea senior figures targeting players who can play in multiple positions and adapt to in game tactical scenarios.
No Drama In Goal
Chelsea sources have denied rumours that they are in talks for goalkeeper Diogo Costa.
It is thought that nothing on that regard or any other will change until Alonso has had final say on his options in net.
Publicly, Alonso has stated that he is happy with the goalkeepers Robert Sanchez and Mike Penders, but a final verdict still remains.
Though, it does look like the situation in net is settled. Neither goalkeeper has been at fault for any of the goals Chelsea have conceded in pre season thus far.
Penders was only beaten once, courtesy of a wonder strike from Edon Zhegrova of Juventus on Wednesday, while Sanchez kept a clean sheet in today’s game against AC Milan, commanding his box well from crosses.
There remains a debate over who will start as number one, with Penders possessing the superior on ball abilities, but it is thought to be an area where the club do not want to do something in terms of the market unless really necessary.
Nicolas Jackson Is A Serious Option
Another interesting scenario is that of the strikers currently on the books at Chelsea.
Let’s get who will most likely leave out of the way first - Liam Delap on a permanent deal, Marc Guiu on a loan or permanent, Shim Mhueka on a loan, and Dastan Satpayev on a loan deal.
With Danny Welbeck coming in, there may still be room for one of Nicolas Jackson or Emmanuel Emegha.
Jackson is by far the more experienced and versatile option, however, clubs are interested and Chelsea may be able to bank as much as £65m with a sale.
Still, in my opinion, if Jackson is mentally locked in and willing to share minutes around, it would be a no brainer to keep him. His cameos off the bench against both Juventus and AC Milan have showed promising signs.
While the finishing still remains an area that needs improvement… much like Marco Palestra, he is making others around him better.
Jackson can stretch defences in behind with runs, something which Joao Pedro and Danny Welbeck profile wise do not offer as often.
But not only that, his ability to generate attacks through hold up and dribbling play could be a very useful asset against deep blocks.
Romeo Lavia Completes A Full 90
Leaving the biggest positive to last, Chelsea midfielder Romeo Lavia clocked his first 90+ minutes in a Blue shirt since 2024, when he played in a pre season match against Manchester City, under then head coach Enzo Maresca.
Lavia’s injury troubles have been horrific, but Alonso persisted through tired complaints from the Belgian midfielder, insisting to Chelsea FC’s YouTube channel after that match that ‘Romeo has a mental block’ when it comes to playing a full match.
While Lavia’s minutes will have to be carefully managed this season, it was fantastic to see him get through a full match. His performance was also very good, forming an effective pivot with Moises Caicedo, who does not need his own introduction.
One area, amongst others, of Lavia’s game that was standout in today’s performance was his ability not only to beat the press, but also switch the play and find runs from the likes of Palestra and Neto. The Belgian midfielder completed all six of his attempted long balls.
There was also impact and overlap between Lavia and new set piece coach Austin MacPhee, delivering a perfectly timed corner onto the edge of the box for Caicedo to score a stunner, making it 3-0.
Chelsea will now travel to Malaysia tonight to end their pre season travels abroad with a match against Johor Darul Ta'zim, tomorrow.
Mixed results aside, with two wins and two defeats so far in pre season, there have been plenty of positives for Chelsea to take back to London next week, where they will finish off their preparations for the new season against Real Sociedad on Saturday 15th August.
