{"id":20394,"date":"2026-07-23T09:31:56","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T09:31:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=20394"},"modified":"2026-07-23T09:31:56","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T09:31:56","slug":"five-things-for-chelsea-fans-to-look-out-for-in-pre-season-under-xabi-alonso","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=20394","title":{"rendered":"Five things for Chelsea fans to look out for in pre-season under Xabi Alonso"},"content":{"rendered":"


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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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Chelsea face Western Sydney Warriors in a friendly before games against Tottenham Hotspur, Juventus, AC Milan and Johor Darul Ta\u2019zim.<\/p>\n

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Their pre-season concludes with a match versus Alonso\u2019s former club Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge on 15 August.<\/p>\n

Going into those games, what should Chelsea fans be paying close attention to? The Chelsea Chronicle<\/strong> has made a brief list of what to look out for!<\/p>\n

The formation Xabi Alonso uses<\/h2>\n

Chelsea supporters should be able to learn what formation Alonso plans to use in the 2026\/27 campaign in pre-season.<\/p>\n

Alonso used a 4-2-3-1 shape in a behind-closed-door friendly against Crawley Town, so perhaps he has already decided.<\/p>\n

What we see in the upcoming pre-season fixtures should give more of an indication.<\/p>\n

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Where would this Chelsea team finish? \ud83d\udc40<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Morgan Rogers\u2019 role<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

However, when Rogers makes his unofficial debut, it will be interesting to see where Alonso plays him given his versatility.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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Who starts in goal<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Whoever plays the most minutes in pre-season could indicate who will be Alonso\u2019s No.1.<\/p>\n

Emmanuel Emegha’s and Geovany Quenda’s minutes<\/h2>\n

Emmanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda have now officially joined Chelsea after pre-agreements were reached last year.<\/p>\n

The plan is for Emegha and Quenda to remain part of Alonso\u2019s first-team squad, but if the pair are not given opportunities during pre-season, they are likely to want loans.<\/p>\n

The number of minutes they get is something to keep an eye on.<\/p>\n

Jorrel Hato\u2019s position<\/h2>\n

Jorrel Hato\u2019s best performances last season probably came when he was playing at centre-back.<\/p>\n

However, the Dutchman can also play at left-back, and with Marc Cucurella having left the club, he could start there.<\/p>\n

How Alonso uses him in pre-season could tell us a lot about Chelsea\u2019s plans for the remainder of the transfer window and the new campaign.<\/p>\n

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