Xabi Alonso Faces Key Selection Decisions Ahead of Chelsea vs Arsenal

Xabi Alonso has barely unpacked his bags at Cobham, yet already faces the kind of selection calls that define early eras. Chelsea head to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, chasing a third straight Premier League win under their new head coach and a statement result against Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.

Two games, two victories, some promise – and plenty still to sharpen. Alonso did not hide from that when he faced the media on Friday.

“What we want is [that] we are able to adapt,” he said. “For sure, there will be games that we have a lot of possession, but we have struggled to score.

“I think that they defend in the low block, to have different tools, to have different ideas how to do it and to [have] different approaches is good. But we are in [the] early days, we have had two games, two wins.

“We are aware that we can do better, we want to do better, something that we need to keep doing well, and I think that we will improve for sure.”

Arsenal away is no place for half-measures. Every line on Alonso’s team sheet matters.

Below, football.london writers Bobby Vincent and Jake Stokes lay out how they would set Chelsea up in north London – and where Alonso’s “different tools” might come from.

Bobby Vincent’s XI: Experience, edge and Emi back at the Emirates

Bobby Vincent would start with a familiar villain in N7. Emiliano Martinez returns to his old home, where the reception is guaranteed to be hostile and the atmosphere unforgiving. That is exactly why Vincent wants him there.

The Argentine, he argues, is big enough to ride the noise and might need to be at full stretch if Chelsea are to leave with anything.

In front of him, Vincent sticks with a back three and leans on experience. Wesley Fofana takes the right centre-back role, with Maxence Lacroix and Levi Colwill completing the trio. There is a nod to youth – Vincent admits he “wouldn’t mind at all” if Josh Acheampong came in for Fofana – but in a game of this magnitude, he expects the Frenchman’s knowhow to win out.

Out wide, Malo Gusto gets the right wing-back slot. Pedro Neto impressed there last week, yet Vincent leans towards Gusto’s defensive security and the balance he offers against an Arsenal side that can overload flanks quickly. On the left, Jorrel Hato provides energy and defensive cover, giving Chelsea solidity on both sides.

The major question sits in midfield. If Moises Caicedo is fit, Vincent plays him. The problem is he does not believe the Ecuadorian will be at 100%, so he turns to Reece James and Romeo Lavia as his double pivot. James, usually the marauding right-back, steps inside again to dictate play and protect transitions, with Lavia alongside him to screen and recycle.

Up front, Vincent keeps it fluid and technical. Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro form the attacking trio, tasked with finding the spaces between Arsenal’s lines and making Chelsea’s possession count. It is a front line built more for craft than chaos, but one that can hurt if the game opens up.

Bobby Vincent’s predicted Chelsea XI: Emi Martinez; Wesley Fofana, Maxence Lacroix, Levi Colwill; Malo Gusto, Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Jorrel Hato; Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Joao Pedro.

Jake Stokes’ XI: Stability, small tweaks and a wildcard bench

Jake Stokes sees little reason for Alonso to rip anything up. Three wins from three in all competitions – Fulham and Brighton beaten in the league, Luton Town dispatched in the Carabao Cup – have given Chelsea early momentum. The Emirates, though, offers a sterner test of how real that progress is.

Stokes keeps Emi Martinez in goal and retains the same back three: Levi Colwill, Maxence Lacroix and Wesley Fofana. Continuity at the back, he argues, is vital against an Arsenal side that can punish any uncertainty.

The wing-backs are where his plan diverges slightly. He likes the idea of Jorrel Hato and Malo Gusto shoring things up and giving Chelsea “a bit more nous at the back,” but he senses Alonso may again trust Pedro Neto on the right. Neto’s attacking thrust could pin Arsenal back and give Chelsea an outlet when the pressure comes.

Central midfield, as with Vincent’s selection, revolves around Caicedo’s fitness. In an ideal world, Stokes wants the Ecuadorian alongside Reece James in the middle. Realistically, he doubts Caicedo is ready to start. That keeps the spotlight on James once more as a central presence, with the supporting cast adjusted depending on who is available to partner him.

Stokes is particularly intrigued by what Valentin Barco might offer off the bench. On the ball, Barco has already shown flashes of quality. Out of possession, Stokes notes, he has not yet been fully tested. Arsenal away is as good an examination as any, and Stokes is “looking forward to seeing how he does” if called upon.

Up front, there is no debate in his mind. The frontline “picks itself.” The same attacking trio that has carried Chelsea through Alonso’s early days keeps its place, with the added temptation of raw talent waiting in reserve.

Stokes namechecks Estevao Willian and Geovany Quenda as potential game-changers if Chelsea are still alive around the hour mark. Their fearlessness, he suggests, could tilt a tight contest.

The decisions now fall to Alonso. Stick with the early template or spring one of those tricks up his sleeve at the Emirates?