Xabi Alonso's Chelsea Faces AC Milan Challenge in Jakarta
The results column already carries a warning for Xabi Alonso. Two games, two defeats, and now AC Milan stand in the way of a smoother take-off to his Chelsea reign on Saturday in Jakarta.
Pre-season is supposed to be forgiving. This one hasn’t been. A 1-0 loss to Juventus on Wednesday underlined how far Chelsea still have to travel to resemble an Alonso side: controlled, aggressive, and ruthless with the ball. Milan, by contrast, arrive with rhythm and a sense of purpose under Ruben Amorim, unbeaten through their summer schedule.
This is no gentle exhibition. It feels like an early measuring stick.
Alonso searching for a tune
Alonso’s task is clear: coax more coherence from a squad still finding its shape. He will have to do it without the club’s headline signing of the summer, $155 million man Morgan Rogers. The England forward, fresh from an extended post-World Cup break, will not be rushed into a debut.
That leaves room, and responsibility, for others.
Danny Welbeck is one of them. The surprise arrival has already pulled on Chelsea blue, stepping off the bench against Juventus, and Jakarta offers another chance for the veteran forward to show why the club moved for him. His movement, experience, and willingness to work without the ball could become important tools for Alonso as he looks to sharpen Chelsea’s attacking edge.
Then there is Mykhailo Mudryk. Once a marquee hope, lately a ghost.
The Ukrainian winger finally reappeared in midweek, handed just eight minutes against Juventus. They were his first for Chelsea in almost two years, after a turbulent spell that saw him test positive for the banned substance meldonium in 2024, then win his appeal and have the remainder of his ban cleared. Now he is back on the pitch, and Jakarta offers the possibility of more than a cameo — a genuine audition under a new manager who owes nothing to past reputations.
If Alonso wants width, direct running, and chaos in the final third, Mudryk is an obvious candidate. The question is how quickly he can be trusted again.
Milan’s fresh start under Amorim
On the opposite bench, Ruben Amorim is quietly stitching together his own reset.
Milan’s last outing, a 1-1 draw with fierce rivals Inter, kept their unbeaten pre-season intact and hinted at a side already absorbing Amorim’s ideas. Sunday’s meeting with Chelsea is their final friendly before the real business begins, and the Portuguese coach will demand a performance that sends his players back to San Siro with conviction.
For Amorim, this is about more than fitness. It is about tone. A win over Chelsea, even in August and even in Jakarta, would underline that Milan intend to move on quickly and decisively under their former Manchester United target-turned-Rossoneri boss.
The Rossoneri have used this tour to build habits: pressing in packs, quick transitions, a clear structure out of possession. They do not look like a side easing their way through the calendar. They look like a team trying to arrive at matchday one already in stride.
Heavyweights, far from home
Jakarta provides an unusual backdrop for two European giants trying to solve very different puzzles.
For Chelsea, it is about breaking a mini-cycle of defeats and offering a first real glimpse of what an Alonso Chelsea might become. Sharper patterns. More control. A front line that looks capable of turning half-chances into something heavier.
For Milan, it is about closing pre-season the way they have played it: unbeaten, confident, and aligned with their new manager’s demands.
Pre-season rarely defines a campaign. But it can whisper where one is heading. On Saturday in Indonesia, we find out which of these heavyweights is listening.
