The Xabi Alonso era is officially underway at Chelsea following their first pre-season friendly against Western Sydney Warriors, where some winners and losers have already become clear.
The Blues won 6-4 against their Australian opposition in a game where the lack of quality in the pitch took away from the quality of both sides.
Alonso’s experimental starting side struggled a bit, however they were far and away the dominant side when he brought on some of the heavy hitters.
Joao Pedro’s nine-minute hat-trick will take all the headlines, but there was plenty more to impress Alonso too.
CONFIRMED: Chelsea XI to face Western Sydney Wanderers.
Xabi Alonso has included a whole host of Chelsea academy stars in his first XI.
Winners and losers from Chelsea’s first pre-season friendly under Xabi Alonso
The Chelsea Chronicle have listed the big winners and losers from our first outing under the new manager.
Winners
Dario Essugo
Near enough a passenger for the 2025/26 season, Dario Essugo was handed a start in a youthful midfield for Chelsea, finding the net in the first half.
The Portuguese midfielder stepped up by constantly driving the Blues forward, especially when they were under pressure on a very suspect playing surface.
The goal was just the cherry on top for Essugo, who will fancy his chances next season with plenty of changes still expected in the midfield areas at Stamford Bridge before the new campaign.
Dastan Satpayev
With all the hype surrounding Dastan Satpayev’s arrival from Kairat Almaty, he will have been delighted to find the net within 10 minutes of his first appearance.
The 16-year-old looked extremely bright after being handed a start, featuring off the left of a new-look front three for Chelsea.
The immediate future for Satpayev is unclear, but he will certainly have put himself in Alonso’s thinking when it comes to upcoming friendlies against superior opposition.
Jamie Gittens
After a nightmare first season that ended without a Premier League goal, Jamie Gittens has enjoyed a really strong start to pre-season.
Goals in both fixtures behind-closed-doors was added to by a goal minutes after coming on for Chelsea today.
The winger was signed for a lot of money and clearly has plenty of talent, and will be hoping the 2026/27 campaign is the one where he can finally show that off.
Reggie Watson
One of the academy prospects who was handed the chance by Alonso, Reggie Watson held his own in the middle of the park.
As shown with the academy sides, his ability from set-pieces was a big strength, coming close with a free-kick.
The Englishman was the one who played the most minutes for the Blues in this game, clearly showing he impressed his manager.
Losers
Liam Delap
In what could be a pre-season where he is fighting for his Chelsea career, Liam Delap did little to impress despite being one of the most senior players on the pitch.
The striker struggled again with his hold-up play, an area many thought would be a strength of his when he moved to West London.
With rumours of the club looking to sign Danny Welbeck as a striking reinforcement, the future is not looking bright for Delap.
Josh Acheampong
Plenty have called for more appearances for Josh Acheampong, although he will not want to carry a performance like that into the new season.
In an experimental back four, Acheampong was at fault for the second WSW goal and struggled on a number of occasions.
There is no need for panic stations, but certainly a performance the youngster will want to put behind him quickly.
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