Chelsea vs AC Milan: Pre-season Battle in Jakarta
Chelsea’s tour of Asia reaches its sharp end in Jakarta, where AC Milan await and the mood has shifted from experimentation to expectation.
Two weeks out from the Premier League kick-off, Xabi Alonso is already feeling the clock. Three straight pre-season wins over Crawley, Bromley and Western Sydney Wanderers had set a breezy tone. Two defeats later – Tottenham with 10 men in Australia, then Juventus in Hong Kong – the edges are rougher, the questions louder.
Jakarta is where he starts to look for answers.
Stronger opposition, stronger line-up
This is the first of back-to-back friendlies in two countries in 24 hours, but AC Milan at Gelora Bung Karno is no place for half-measures. Johor Darul Ta'zim in Malaysia on Sunday will carry the bulk of the rotation. Milan, in front of a vast crowd in Indonesia, should see something close to Alonso’s best available XI.
The Juventus loss, settled by a thunderous second-half strike from Edon Zhegrova at Kai Tak Stadium, exposed familiar issues. Chelsea were loose at the back, uncertain in their structure, and again short of cutting edge when it mattered. Alonso can point to one clear caveat: he has barely had the same defence on the pitch twice.
That is why the possible return of Levi Colwill matters so much.
The centre-back, who lost most of last season to an anterior cruciate ligament injury, was kept off another questionable surface in midweek, along with Cole Palmer. Both absences were labelled precautionary. Both are now being pushed towards minutes in Jakarta. For Colwill, it is about anchoring a backline that has yet to find its voice. For Palmer, it is about rejoining an attack that badly needs his invention.
Mudryk back in the spotlight
The Juventus game was dominated by one subplot: Mykhailo Mudryk’s return.
The Ukrainian winger, cleared after resolving anti-doping disciplinary proceedings with the FA, stepped straight back into the Chelsea conversation – and straight into the shop window. Several clubs are circling for a loan, but Alonso has him here, fit, and potentially ready for a first start for Chelsea since November 2024.
Jakarta could be his stage. On the left of a front three, with Palmer drifting between the lines and Joao Pedro leading the line, Mudryk has the chance to remind both Chelsea and any suitors why he commanded such attention in the first place.
Battle for the gloves
Even the goalkeeper position carries intrigue.
Robert Sanchez made his return from injury against Juventus, a welcome sight for a squad that has shuffled through options in goal. But the presence of Mike Penders has complicated the picture. The young Belgian has impressed enough to be considered a genuine contender for the No1 shirt.
Alonso must now decide whether to lean on Sanchez’s experience or hand Penders another high-profile audition against Serie A opposition. The predicted nod goes to Penders in Jakarta, with Sanchez likely to feature heavily against Johor Darul Ta'zim, but the decision will reveal plenty about the manager’s thinking heading into the season.
Youth making their move
If the results have dipped, the emergence of Chelsea’s youngsters has cut through the gloom.
Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, just 16, has been the standout story so far. The Sydney-born England youth international was trusted to start against Juventus, preferred to Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo alongside Moises Caicedo in midfield. He did not look out of place. That selection alone told its own story about Alonso’s willingness to back Cobham talent when it earns his faith.
On the flank, Geovany Quenda offered another bright spark in an otherwise flat team display. The 19-year-old winger, a £40million signing from Sporting, played with the urgency and directness of someone determined to skip the “bedding-in” phase entirely. Jakarta gives him another chance to stake a claim in what is becoming a crowded attacking department.
With two matches in two days, the plan is clear: near full strength against Milan, then a broader spread of minutes against Johor Darul Ta'zim. The trick for Alonso is to manage fitness and risk without dulling the edge he now needs to sharpen.
Defensive questions, familiar faces
Chelsea have not yet looked secure without the ball under Alonso. The manager will point to the churn in personnel: injuries, late returns from the World Cup, and constant reshuffling have denied him the settled unit any new coach craves.
Colwill’s availability is central to changing that. A back four of Palestra, Fofana, Colwill and Hato, with Caicedo and Lavia screening in front, offers a blend of power, composure and balance that Chelsea have rarely fielded together this summer. It is also the sort of platform Alonso needs if he is to unleash the attacking talent stacked ahead of them.
The predicted XI underlines that intent:
Penders; Palestra, Fofana, Colwill, Hato; Lavia, Caicedo; Estevao, Palmer, Mudryk; Joao Pedro.
It is a side designed to press high, move the ball quickly, and ask questions of Milan rather than simply react to them.
Time to shift the mood
Pre-season can deceive. Results can be overplayed. Managers repeat the same lines every summer. Yet context matters. This is not a Chelsea side looking for identity from scratch; it is one expected to accelerate under a new coach, not stall.
Alonso still has time, but not much. Two weeks, two games in Asia, and one serious test against AC Milan. If Chelsea are going to flip the narrative before the real football starts, Jakarta is where the turn has to begin.
