Chelsea's Jakarta Test Against AC Milan: Alonso's Pre-Season Challenge
Chelsea’s pre-season tour has moved on to Jakarta, but the mood has shifted from exhibition to examination. AC Milan await at Gelora Bung Karno this afternoon, and after back-to-back defeats, Xabi Alonso suddenly finds himself needing more than just “minutes in the legs”.
Two weeks out from the Premier League kick-off, the margin for error is shrinking.
From cruise control to questions
Chelsea eased into the summer with three straight wins over Crawley, Bromley and Western Sydney Wanderers. Routine, comfortable, exactly what a new manager wants as he lays down his ideas.
Then came the sting.
A stoppage-time collapse against 10-man Tottenham in Australia, followed by a flat 1-0 defeat to Juventus in Hong Kong, has punctured that early calm. Edon Zhegrova’s brilliant second-half strike at Kai Tak Stadium sealed the loss, but it was the manner of Chelsea’s performance that lingered: disjointed at the back, blunt in attack, short on rhythm.
Alonso won’t panic. But he will be impatient.
With Milan today and Johor Darul Ta'zim in Malaysia tomorrow, this is no longer just a sightseeing tour. It’s a race to build something that looks like a starting XI.
Mudryk back in the shop window
The Juventus game was dominated by one storyline: the return of Mykhailo Mudryk.
With his anti-doping disciplinary case resolved by the FA, the Ukrainian winger is back and firmly in the shop window. Several clubs are circling for a loan, and Jakarta could bring his first Chelsea start since November 2024.
For Alonso, that creates an intriguing balancing act. Mudryk needs minutes to attract the right move. Chelsea need to showcase him without letting the transfer noise drown out the tactical work. A strong display against Milan would help both.
Colwill and Palmer: precaution or problem?
At the other end of the pitch, Alonso’s biggest concern is clarity. Chelsea have not looked secure defensively, and the manager points, with some justification, to his inability to settle on a back four.
Levi Colwill is central to solving that. The England defender missed most of last season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury and sat out the Juventus game as a precaution on a poor surface. Cole Palmer, Chelsea’s creative heartbeat, was also held back for the same reason.
Both are expected to be in contention in Jakarta. Alonso needs them. Colwill for stability and leadership in a back line that has wobbled. Palmer for the final ball and calm in the chaos of transition.
If they start, it will feel like the first step toward a recognisable Chelsea spine.
Penders or Sanchez? The No1 debate begins
One of the most intriguing subplots today comes in goal.
Robert Sanchez returned from injury against Juventus, but the presence of young Belgian keeper Mike Penders has turned the position into a genuine contest. Penders is highly regarded inside the club and is pushing hard for the No1 jersey.
Jakarta may not decide the season-long hierarchy, yet the choice Alonso makes against Milan will be closely watched. Does he lean on the experience of Sanchez, or hand another high-pressure audition to the youngster?
The predicted line-up tilts towards Penders starting, with Sanchez potentially held back for Sunday in Malaysia. The battle has started early.
Youth rises amid the stumbles
For all the stuttering results, this tour has already thrown up one major positive: Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli.
The 16-year-old midfielder, Sydney-born but an England youth international, started alongside Moises Caicedo against Juventus and did not look out of place. Alonso trusted him ahead of Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo, a bold call that underlined just how highly the Cobham graduate is rated.
He was not the only youngster to catch the eye. Geovany Quenda, the 19-year-old winger signed for £40million from Sporting, injected rare spark into an otherwise flat display. Direct, confident, and willing to take responsibility, he looked every inch a player ready to impact the first team now, not later.
Those two performances are the kind of pre-season stories managers cling to when the scorelines don’t flatter.
Rotation, risk and a near full-strength XI
The schedule is unforgiving: two games in 24 hours, in two different countries. Alonso has no choice but to rotate, to juggle workloads and manage bodies that are still short of full fitness.
Jakarta, though, should see something close to his strongest available side.
Against Milan, Chelsea are expected to line up with Penders in goal behind a back four of Palestra, Wesley Fofana, Colwill and Jorrel Hato. Lavia and Caicedo provide the double pivot, a blend of energy, recovery and control that Alonso will hope becomes a familiar pairing.
Ahead of them, a fluid three of Estevao, Palmer and Mudryk is designed to feed Joao Pedro, the spearhead of the attack. On paper, it is a team that can move the ball quickly and hurt opponents between the lines. On grass, Chelsea have yet to knit those ideas together consistently.
Colwill and Palmer remain the main fitness doubts, though both were only left out in midweek as a precaution. If they get through this one unscathed, the anxiety around their readiness should ease.
A friendly in name only
Call it a friendly if you like. For Alonso, it carries more weight.
He needs to see defensive cohesion, not just flashes. He needs his attacking patterns to stick, not just individual moments from gifted youngsters. He needs Mudryk to look sharp, Palmer to find his rhythm, Colwill to marshal a back line that has been far too easy to disturb.
Chelsea’s summer started like a gentle warm-up. Jakarta, against a seasoned AC Milan side, feels more like the first real stress test of the Alonso era.
With the Premier League looming, how many more of these can he afford to fail?
