New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has a whole list of issues he has to address at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s poor defensive record last season and Cole Palmer’s dip in form are just two of the dilemmas the 44-year-old must solve.
On the subject of Palmer, how Alonso utilises Chelsea’s current crop of attacking players and keeps them all happy will be interesting to see.
That did not always happen at former club Real Madrid to say the least.
Who would you start in a five-man defence for Chelsea?
Chelsea fans will fear Endrick repeat with Estevao Willian
Once he is fully fit again, Estevao Willian is one attacker Chelsea supporters will hope to see on the pitch. At Real Madrid, Alonso had another Brazilian talent who is very similar to Estevao: Endrick.
Was Alonso able to fully utilise Endrick and get the best out of him? The answer is no. He often picked Gonzalo Garcia instead of the 19-year-old and struggled to fit him into the team in general.
In total, Endrick made just three appearances under Alonso and only one in La Liga. If Alonso uses his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, Estevao could find himself in a very similar situation.
In that set-up, Palmer would play on the right and in the right half-space, while Chelsea could buy someone for the opposite flank.
It has been widely reported that they want to sign a versatile attacker this summer. West Ham United’s Crysencio Summerville is being linked with a move to Chelsea.
Thanks to Palmer and Joao Pedro, though, there are goals in this Chelsea side. And there is no reason why Estevao, who cost Chelsea £51m in total, cannot come off the bench and make an impact, for example.
Again, one of Alonso’s biggest concerns is likely to be defence, particularly the centre of it. Hopefully that gets addressed, with Chelsea trying to sign Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace.
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