Chelsea’s Fringe Stars Miss Golden Opportunity to Impress in Johor Darul Ta’zim Draw

Chelsea ended their preseason tour of Asia with a disappointing 3–3 draw against Malaysian opponent Johor Darul Ta'zim on Sunday.

Less than 24 hours after a comprehensive victory over AC Milan, a Chelsea side made up of youngsters and fringe seniors attempted to follow suit against JDT, but were shocked to fall 1–0 behind after just 14 minutes.

It was far from convincing in the first half, but Liam Delap ensured the score was tied at the break after thundering home a penalty he won after being hauled to the ground.

Jamie Gittens won a second penalty on the hour mark and Delap made no mistake once again, although JDT tied things back up almost immediately after through a deflected free kick that ricocheted off Delap’s back and beyond Gabriel Slonina.

JDT thought they had grabbed the late winner they perhaps deserved through Bérgson’s low drive, but an own goal forced through Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross spared Chelsea’s blushes.

Tosin’s Troubles

Xabi Alonso went incredibly young for this one but still found space in the heart of his three-man defense for Tosin Adarabioyo. The 28-year-old stood out as the elder statesman in this team but struggled to live up to that billing.

Tosin looked uncomfortable in a high defensive line and could not keep up for the JDT opening goal, and it wasn’t long before he lost his composure and found himself fighting Kevin Medina, who impressed for Qarabağ against Chelsea towards the end of 2025.

It was hardly the way to lead by example, and it felt particularly telling that Tosin did not even captain the team here. Instead, the armband was handed to 21-year-old Dário Essugo, who took the responsibility in his place.

Mixed Auditions for Delap, Jackson

Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap — Nicolas Jackson (left) and Liam Delap (center) are fighting for their futures. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

With João Pedro shining this summer and Danny Welbeck being recruited to help out, there is likely just one spot in the squad remaining for Liam Delap, Nicolas Jackson or Emmanuel Emegha. With the latter injured, it was Delap and Jackson given the chance to prove themselves here.

Many expected JDT to provide little obstacle for the under-pressure duo, but things did not work out like that as Chelsea’s strike pairing were made to work incredibly hard in Malaysia.

Delap netted two excellent penalties, having won the first through some impressive physicality, but it still felt like a missed opportunity for the Englishman. Jackson was a little more lively on the ball and looked more comfortable in Alonso’s setup but, again, fell short of expectations here.

Emegha had been enjoying a solid summer against admittedly lower-league opposition before his injury and may well have done enough to convince Alonso of his worth without even playing on this preseason tour.

Disciplinary Problems Reign Once Again

Xabi Alonso — Tensions flared throughout here. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Much was made of a disciplinary problem in the Chelsea locker room last season under Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior, and efforts were made to address that this summer through the acquisitions of veterans Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck, neither of whom were involved here.

The need for such calm heads was made abundantly clear here as Chelsea looked tense and on-edge throughout, admittedly provoked by a number of tough tackles from the Malaysian hosts. Tensions flared on a number of occasions when Alonso would have preferred calm.

Even new set-piece coach Austin MacPhee could clearly be heard telling someone on the JDT bench to “shut the f--- up” while players brawled on the pitch midway through the second half.

There is nothing wrong with playing on the edge at times. That added bite can actually be a positive if used correctly. The problem for Chelsea is that some of this group have yet to learn how to master the craft, which only serves to highlight exactly why Henderson and Welbeck were brought in.

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