Four Takeaways From Chelsea’s Emphatic Preseason Triumph Over AC Milan

Chelsea got back to winning ways in Xabi Alonso’s first preseason, picking up a comfortable 3–0 victory over AC Milan in Jakarta on Saturday.

The first half was an entertaining watch as both sides regularly flew forwards in search of the opening goal. Milan had their moments but Chelsea were clearly on top and should have had at least one goal by the time João Pedro landed a scruffy header in the back of the net on the cusp of half time.

Pedro was celebrating a second goal just 30 seconds after the restart, tapping in from close range, and fans had barely settled down by the time Moisés Caicedo drilled home a volley after a corner to make it 3–0 in the 50th minute.

It was a composed performance all-around for Chelsea, who are back in action in less than 24 hours against Malaysian outfit Johor Darul Ta’zim.

Alonso Changes Formation

We saw something new from Xabi Alonso. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Ever since Alonso arrived, questions have been asked about his preferred formation. We’ve seen 4-2-3-1 up to this point, but Saturday’s game brought the introduction of the 3-4-2-1 that served him so well at Bayer Leverkusen—and caused his counterpart, Ruben Amorim, so many problems at Manchester United.

The front three of Pedro, Cole Palmer and Danny Welbeck were particularly fluid in the first half, when Chelsea also appeared to look more comfortable with three natural center backs—Wesley Fofana, Jorrel Hato and Josh Acheampong—on the pitch.

Whether this will be the setup in which Chelsea starts the new season remains to be seen, but it is clear Alonso is prepared to try different things and adjust his formation depending on the opponent.

Big Calls at Wing Back

The change to a 3-4-2-1 also gave summer signing Marco Palestra the opportunity to truly show why he was signed this summer, and he definitely seized that chance.

Palestra flew forward at every given opportunity and was often involved in central areas, but perhaps most intriguingly, he did so from the left side of Chelsea’s midfield, flashing the versatility that helped make him so valuable.

On the right, it was natural winger Pedro Neto who got the nod from the start. The Portugal international put in a real shift and made his presence known with a nice cross to set up Chelsea’s second goal of the day.

Geovany Quenda replaced Neto for the final 30 minutes. More familiar with the role from his time under Ruben Amorim at Sporting CP, he often combined with Palestra to prove Alonso definitely has plenty of options to choose from if he sticks with this formation.

Acheampong Proves His Worth

Rafael Leão, Josh Acheampong — Josh Acheampong (right) made light work of Rafael Leão. | Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Playing in a three-man defense also seemed to benefit young Acheampong, whose potential has long been clear despite a handful of shaky performances when drafted into the senior side.

Acheampong started on the right side of Chelsea’s back three, where he faced up against the dangerous Rafael Leão. Perhaps benefiting from the extra security around him, the teenager put in a truly stellar showing, including an excellent challenge to deny the winger in the first half.

It seems as though Alonso is prepared to put plenty of faith in Acheampong. With performances like this one, it’s not hard to see why.

Chelsea’s Set-Piece Threat

Much has been made of Chelsea’s acquisition of set-piece coach Austin MacPhee, who will be delighted to have seen the Blues net twice from corners here.

Pedro found himself unmarked to head home the opener, while Roméo Lavia’s decision to send a corner directly towards Caicedo on the edge of the penalty area was definitely something we did not see last season.

Caicedo’s volley was proof that not all set-piece goals have to be ugly, but Alonso will have no problem if Chelsea are celebrating scruffier goals like Pedro’s opener. They all count the same.

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