The Xabi Alonso era at Chelsea is underway, with the 44-year-old set to take charge of his first game in front of a crowd next week.
Chelsea face Western Sydney Warriors in a friendly before games against Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus, AC Milan and Johor Darul Ta’zim.
Their pre-season concludes with a match versus Alonso’s former club Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge on 15 August.
Going into those games, what should Chelsea fans be paying close attention to? The Chelsea Chronicle has made a brief list of what to look out for!
The formation Xabi Alonso uses
Chelsea supporters should be able to learn what formation Alonso plans to use in the 2026/27 campaign in pre-season.
Alonso used a 4-2-3-1 shape in a behind-closed-door friendly against Crawley Town, so perhaps he has already decided.
What we see in the upcoming pre-season fixtures should give more of an indication.
Where would this Chelsea team finish? 👀
Morgan Rogers’ role
New signing Morgan Rogers is due a holiday after a deep World Cup run with England, so the attacking midfielder is likely to miss a large chunk of pre-season.
However, when Rogers makes his unofficial debut, it will be interesting to see where Alonso plays him given his versatility.
The expectation is that Rogers will start on the left. If that proves to be the case in pre-season, the likelihood is that he will be deployed there once the new Premier League campaign begins.
Who starts in goal
While Chelsea have been linked with a few goalkeepers, it looks like they will start the new season with Robert Sanchez and Mike Penders as their main two options.
Whoever plays the most minutes in pre-season could indicate who will be Alonso’s No.1.
Emmanuel Emegha’s and Geovany Quenda’s minutes
Emmanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda have now officially joined Chelsea after pre-agreements were reached last year.
The plan is for Emegha and Quenda to remain part of Alonso’s first-team squad, but if the pair are not given opportunities during pre-season, they are likely to want loans.
The number of minutes they get is something to keep an eye on.
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Jorrel Hato’s position
Jorrel Hato’s best performances last season probably came when he was playing at centre-back.
However, the Dutchman can also play at left-back, and with Marc Cucurella having left the club, he could start there.
How Alonso uses him in pre-season could tell us a lot about Chelsea’s plans for the remainder of the transfer window and the new campaign.
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