Even though we are coming out of what has been another poor season for Chelsea Football Club under BlueCo ownership, there is some positivity around for a change. Of course, the lion’s share of that is down to the appointment of Xabi Alonso. The Spaniard has been brought in as the new manager. Yes, you read that right, not head coach. The point has been made time and again over the past week or so.
Well, what kind of practical value will that terminology hold? We shall find out in the summer. The early word is that Alonso will get much more say on transfers and football matters than any of his predecessors did.
Of course, it is not just about signing new players. Chelsea simply cannot afford to go out and change up the majority of the roster in one transfer window. That is not realistic. Probably not even positive. Wholesale changes to the team rarely work in football.
Alonso will need to bring the best out of those available to him. But what style will he play? Three at the back or a traditional four-man backline? Many have been wondering. And we might get a picture of what he is trying to do with this team in pre-season.
Chelsea announce pre-season schedule in what will be Xabi Alonso’s first games
Chelsea have confirmed their schedule for the upcoming pre-season. They will be going on a tour of Australia and Asia.
Chelsea will kick off the Australia leg of the tour with a game against the Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday, 28 July, 7.45 pm at Accor Stadium.
That will be followed up by a game against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, 1 August, 7.45 pm at the same venue in Sydney.
Then Chelsea will travel to Asia. There, they will take on Juventus on Wednesday, 5 August, 7.30 pm at the Kai Tak Stadium in Hong Kong.
That will be followed up by a match against AC Milan on Saturday, 8 August, 7 pm at the GBK Stadium Jakarta in Indonesia.
And finally, they will wrap things up by facing Johor Darul Ta’z on Tuesday, 11 August, 8 pm at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Malaysia.
Alonso will need to get the most out of this pre-season tour
That seems like a busy set of fixtures, that is for sure. Chelsea will be playing five games in four different countries within the space of two weeks.
It will give Alonso some time to understand what he is working with though. By that point, a plan should be starting to take shape.
And while it will be a bit too early to expect the players to be fully up to speed with Alonso’s ideas, they should be starting to show flashes of what is possible.
There was so much talk about this Chelsea team needing a pre-season under Liam Rosenior. Now, let’s see what they can do with Alonso at the helm.