Chelsea Prepares for AC Milan Test in Jakarta

Chelsea look to steady themselves on tour on Saturday, when AC Milan provide the latest examination of Xabi Alonso’s early work in charge at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

Two defeats on the spin have clipped the optimism that followed a sharp start to pre-season. Chelsea swept past Crawley, Bromley and Western Sydney Wanderers, only to be pegged back brutally by 10-man Tottenham in Australia and then edged out 1-0 by Juventus in Hong Kong. The scorelines are not yet alarming. The timing is. The Premier League kicks off in a fortnight.

Alonso, still feeling his way into the job, needs rhythm now. Not panic, not sweeping judgments. Just a performance that looks like a team taking shape.

Milan test comes as standards tighten

The schedule offers no breathing space. Milan in Indonesia on Saturday, Johor Darul Ta'zim in Malaysia on Sunday. Two games, two countries, 24 hours. It is a commercial tour on paper, but for Alonso it doubles as a crash course in squad management and defensive repair.

Chelsea have looked uncertain without a settled back line. The manager can point to injuries and absences, and he would be right. Levi Colwill missed most of last season with a serious knee injury and has been handled with care. Cole Palmer, Chelsea’s creative heartbeat, also sat out the Juventus defeat as the staff took no risks on a poor surface at Kai Tak Stadium.

Those calls were described as precautionary, and both should be in contention this weekend. Their return would give Alonso the spine and clarity he has lacked in recent weeks. Colwill to anchor a back four, Palmer to stitch together attacks and bring some order to an attack that has flickered rather than burned.

Mudryk back in the spotlight

The Juventus game was decided by a stunning second-half strike from Edon Zhegrova, but the story of the night belonged to Mykhailo Mudryk. The Ukrainian winger’s return, after resolving his anti-doping disciplinary proceedings with the FA, dominated the conversation.

Now he is firmly in the shop window. Several clubs are circling with loan offers, and Jakarta could stage his first Chelsea start since November 2024. It is a strange dynamic: a player Chelsea once billed as a cornerstone of their future now playing for his next move as much as for his current club.

If Alonso starts him, it will be with a dual purpose. Mudryk needs minutes. Chelsea need a spark.

Battle for the gloves, and a glimpse of the future

There is intrigue in goal as well. Robert Sanchez made his return from injury against Juventus, yet he no longer has the shirt to himself. Young Belgian Mike Penders is pushing hard and is tipped to start against Milan as the fight for the No1 jersey sharpens.

Alonso’s hand is stronger now that the bulk of his World Cup contingent have rejoined the group, but the most eye-catching contributions on tour have not come from the established names. Sixteen-year-old Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, Sydney-born and already an England youth international, was trusted to start alongside Moises Caicedo in Hong Kong. He was picked ahead of Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo and did not look out of place.

Geovany Quenda, the £40million winger from Sporting, also cut through the gloom of an otherwise flat display. Direct, fearless, he played as if the price tag belonged to someone else. Both youngsters have given Alonso something concrete to cling to amid the patchy results: evidence that Cobham and smart recruitment can still feed the first team.

Strong XI expected in Jakarta

With the weekend split into an A and B assignment, Milan should face something close to Chelsea’s strongest available side. The expectation is that Alonso leans heavily on his senior core in Jakarta, then spreads minutes more generously against Johor Darul Ta'zim.

A likely lineup against Milan: Penders in goal; a back four of Palestra, Wesley Fofana, Colwill and Jorrel Hato; Lavia and Caicedo as the midfield screen; Estevao, Palmer and Mudryk supporting Joao Pedro up front. Colwill and Palmer remain listed as doubts, but both are pushing to be involved.

It is only pre-season, and results in July and August often fade from memory by October. Alonso knows that. What will not be forgotten, though, is how quickly this Chelsea side start to look like his team rather than a collection of expensive parts.

Milan, in a heaving Jakarta cauldron, is the next chance to show it.