Chelsea Faces AC Milan in Jakarta: A Test for Xabi Alonso

Chelsea’s pre-season has left its first bruises, and the next punch comes from AC Milan in the heat of Jakarta.

Two weeks out from the Premier League kick-off, Xabi Alonso takes his squad into the first of back-to-back friendlies in Asia knowing the tone around this tour has shifted. Three early wins over Crawley, Bromley and Western Sydney Wanderers had settled everyone nicely. Then came the late collapse against 10-man Tottenham in Australia, followed by a flat 1-0 defeat to Juventus in Hong Kong.

The honeymoon is on pause. Not over, but paused.

Alonso looks for a reset

No one at Cobham is reaching for the panic button yet. Pre-season is a laboratory, not a courtroom, and Alonso has only just started mixing his ingredients. But the rhythm has gone. Two straight defeats, defensive uncertainty and a squad only recently reunited after the World Cup have left the new head coach chasing something more valuable than any July trophy: momentum.

Jakarta, against Milan, offers the chance to find it.

Alonso is expected to go strong at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium this afternoon, with a near full-strength XI lined up for the Serie A giants before he rotates heavily for Johor Darul Ta'zim in Malaysia on Sunday. Two games, two countries, 24 hours. It’s a demanding schedule, and it will force clear decisions on who he truly trusts.

Mudryk back in the shop window

The defeat to Juventus was settled by a stunning second-half strike from Edon Zhegrova at Kai Tak Stadium, but the story of the night was Mykhailo Mudryk.

The Ukrainian winger, back in a Chelsea shirt after resolving his anti-doping disciplinary proceedings with the FA, stepped straight into the spotlight again. His situation is blunt: he is now firmly in the shop window. Several clubs are circling with loan interest, and every minute he gets on this tour doubles as an audition.

Jakarta could bring his first start for Chelsea since November 2024. If Alonso turns to him from the off, it will say plenty about how the club view his immediate future – and how much they want to showcase him.

Battle for the gloves, race for fitness

Behind Mudryk, another quiet battle is brewing. Robert Sanchez returned from injury against Juventus, but the presence of young Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders has complicated what once looked a straightforward hierarchy.

Penders is pushing hard. Alonso’s choice against Milan will be telling: the experience of Sanchez, or a bolder statement with the Belgian as he and Sanchez scrap for the No1 jersey?

The head coach also has to manage risk. Levi Colwill and Cole Palmer sat out the Juventus game on a poor surface, with the club insisting both absences were purely precautionary. Alonso will be desperate to have them back on the pitch.

Chelsea’s defending under him has lacked conviction, and he can point with some justification to a backline that has rarely been settled. Colwill, who missed most of last season with a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury, is central to fixing that. The left-sided defender offers balance, passing range and a calmness that this back four has been crying out for.

Palmer, meanwhile, is the creative heartbeat of this team. If he is fit enough to feature, even in measured minutes, Chelsea’s attack looks instantly more coherent.

Youth steps up as Cobham answers the call

Results in pre-season often drown out the real story. For Alonso, one of the biggest positives of this tour has been the emergence of Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli.

The 16-year-old midfielder, Sydney-born but representing England at youth level, started against Juventus and did not look out of place. More than that, he was trusted. Alonso picked him ahead of Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo to partner Moises Caicedo, a bold call that underlined the faith in the Cobham graduate.

Nicoll-Jazuli played with a maturity that belied his age, knitting play together and showing he belongs in this environment. He is unlikely to start every week once the season begins, but he has already moved himself into the conversation.

Geovany Quenda also caught the eye. In a largely flat Chelsea display, the 19-year-old winger – a £40million signing from Sporting – injected some much-needed spark. Direct, willing to run at defenders, he looked every bit a player capable of impacting the first team immediately rather than easing his way in.

Strong XI expected against Milan

With rotation guaranteed across the weekend, Milan should face something close to Alonso’s preferred line-up as it stands.

A likely XI in Jakarta:

• Penders; Palestra, Fofana, Colwill, Hato; Lavia, Caicedo; Estevao, Palmer, Mudryk; Joao Pedro.

That selection would give Alonso a blend of established quality and emerging talent. Lavia alongside Caicedo offers control and bite in midfield. Estevao and Mudryk bring pace and unpredictability from wide areas. Palmer, if fit, links it all together behind Joao Pedro, who continues to bed into the central striking role.

It is still early August, but the shape of Alonso’s Chelsea is beginning to appear.

A different kind of friendly

This is still pre-season. The points column remains untouched. Yet the context matters.

Chelsea have stumbled in their last two outings. The defence has looked uncertain. Key players are only just returning. The fanbase, excited by Alonso’s arrival and an intriguing blend of youth and high-profile signings, wants to see signs that the ideas are taking root.

Milan, in front of a vast crowd in Jakarta, provide the kind of opponent and atmosphere that can sharpen a team quickly. Chelsea do not need perfection today. They do need clarity, cohesion and a hint that the bumps of the last week were just that – bumps, not warning lights.

With the Premier League now looming into view, this is where a pre-season tour stops being a showcase and starts becoming a rehearsal. How quickly Alonso’s Chelsea learn their lines in Jakarta may tell us plenty about how ready they really are for opening day.