Chelsea Faces AC Milan in Pre-Season Test
Chelsea’s pre-season has hit its first bump. Now comes the response.
Two straight defeats have checked the early optimism around Xabi Alonso’s start at Stamford Bridge, and the next examination arrives in Jakarta on Saturday when the Blues face AC Milan at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium — the first leg of a demanding 24-hour double-header that continues in Malaysia against Johor Darul Ta'zim on Sunday.
This is still only pre-season, but the clock is ticking. The new Premier League campaign is just two weeks away. Alonso knows it.
From cruise control to questions
Chelsea eased into the summer with three routine wins over Crawley, Bromley and Western Sydney Wanderers. Goals flowed, the new ideas looked sharp enough, and the mood around the squad softened after a turbulent year.
Then reality bit.
A stoppage-time defeat to 10-man Tottenham in Australia was followed by a 1-0 reverse to Juventus in Hong Kong, sealed by a superb second-half strike from Kosovo winger Edon Zhegrova at Kai Tak Stadium. Two defeats, one goal scored, doubts creeping in from the outside.
Alonso will not panic. Pre-season form rarely tells the whole story. But he will want the narrative to change quickly, and a meeting with Milan in front of a fervent Indonesian crowd offers a timely chance to steady the picture.
Mudryk back in the spotlight
The Juventus game revolved around one name: Mykhailo Mudryk.
The Ukrainian winger returned to action after resolving his anti-doping disciplinary case with the Football Association, and his presence instantly shifted the tone of Chelsea’s tour. He is now firmly in the shop window, with several clubs circling for a loan deal, and Jakarta could bring his first Chelsea start since November 2024.
Alonso must balance two priorities with Mudryk. He needs sharpness and rhythm if he is to attract the right suitors, but the manager also has to protect an asset whose future could influence the club’s wider summer business. All eyes will be on whether Mudryk is trusted from the off against Milan.
Goalkeeper battle takes shape
Another subplot is emerging in goal.
Robert Sanchez made his return from injury against Juventus, but the contest for the No1 shirt is no longer a formality. Young Belgian keeper Mike Penders is pushing hard, and Jakarta may offer the clearest indication yet of Alonso’s thinking.
Start Sanchez again and the hierarchy looks familiar. Hand the gloves to Penders and the message is obvious: no reputations are safe. Across a long season, this decision will matter; pre-season is where the battle starts.
Defensive doubts and a crucial return
If there is one area where Chelsea have looked anything but settled under Alonso, it is at the back. The manager can fairly point to constant changes in personnel and fitness issues as reasons for the shakiness, but the uncertainty has been obvious.
That is why Levi Colwill’s return is so important.
The England defender missed most of last season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury and was not risked on the uneven surface in Hong Kong, along with Cole Palmer. Both absences were described as precautionary, and both are expected to be in contention for minutes this weekend.
Colwill offers exactly what Alonso craves: a left-sided defender comfortable on the ball, strong in duels and capable of anchoring a settled backline. The sooner he can build partnerships — with Wesley Fofana, Jorrel Hato or anyone else — the sooner Chelsea’s defensive jitters should ease.
Palmer’s creative spark, meanwhile, has become central to how this team attacks. Alonso will hope to see him at least briefly against Milan before potentially managing his load in Malaysia.
A teenager seizes his chance
Not everything about this tour has been scratchy or uncertain. One of the brightest notes so far belongs to a 16-year-old.
Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, a Sydney-born England youth international, earned his first senior start against Juventus and did not look out of place. Alonso picked the Cobham graduate ahead of Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo to partner Moises Caicedo in midfield — a bold call that underlined the manager’s willingness to trust talent, not just reputation.
Nicoll-Jazuli’s composure and energy have thrust him into the conversation for more minutes, even as the senior squad returns to full strength. Pre-season often throws up fleeting cameos; this feels more substantial.
On the flanks, Geovany Quenda has delivered his own statement. The 19-year-old winger, a £40million signing from Sporting, was one of the few bright sparks in an otherwise flat display against Juventus, repeatedly driving at defenders and showing he is ready to contribute now, not later.
Two games, two countries, one juggling act
The schedule is unforgiving. Milan in Jakarta on Saturday, Johor Darul Ta'zim in Malaysia on Sunday. Two games, two countries, 24 hours.
Alonso has little choice but to rotate. The expectation is that he fields something close to a full-strength side against AC Milan, with the second fixture used to spread minutes, protect key players and reward those on the fringes.
That shapes the likely XI for Jakarta: Penders pushing to start in goal; a back four of Palestra, Fofana, Colwill and Hato; Lavia alongside Caicedo in midfield; Estevao and Mudryk flanking Palmer behind Joao Pedro. Colwill and Palmer remain listed as doubts, but both are in the frame if they come through final checks.
The opposition may only be a pre-season Milan, the competition only CFC+ for those watching from afar. For Alonso, though, this is about more than a friendly.
It is about rhythm. About clarity. About walking off the pitch in Jakarta with a performance that looks and feels like a team ready to hit the ground running when the real thing starts.
