Chelsea’s first public pre-season friendly of the summer should offer the first real look at what Xabi Alonso wants from this group. Plenty of debuts are expected, and the line-up is likely to be shaped as much by fitness management as by selection preferences. Chelsea have already won two behind-closed-doors friendlies before travelling to Australia, but this is the first chance to see the setup in public against Western Sydney Wanderers.
Alonso’s expected shape
The strongest clue is the shape. Chelsea are expected to use a 4-2-3-1 again, having reportedly gone with that system in both private friendlies already. That would mean a fairly clear structure from the outset, with Marco Palestra on one side, Jorrel Hato on the other, and Cole Palmer in the No 10 role behind Joao Pedro.
That feels like the sensible place to start. Alonso has been given a summer with enough new pieces and returning players to test the basic framework before the real pressure starts, and the friendly should tell us more about roles than results. Chelsea finished 10th in the Premier League, so a clean pre-season setup matters even if the game itself does not tell us much on its own.
Debuts, returns and the players to watch
Levi Colwill is one of the more interesting names in the expected XI after missing most of last season with an ACL injury. His recent five-match average rating is 7, which suggests he has settled back in quickly enough for Alonso to trust him in a first public run-out.
Aaron Anselmino is another player worth watching after impressing in loan spells at Borussia Dortmund and Strasbourg. Jamie Gittens also fits the same pre-season theme, having missed long stretches last season with a hamstring problem but impressed in behind-closed-doors matches this summer.
The friendly is not a verdict on anything. Chelsea’s recent form is listed as WDLWL, which is exactly why this night is more about minutes, roles and early habits than a result that will not be fully available anyway.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
