Photo by David GRAY / AFP via Getty Images
Photo by David GRAY / AFP via Getty Images
It is always an awful feeling losing to Tottenham Hotspur, but thankfully that is not something that Chelsea have experienced too often in recent seasons.
However, they were beaten by their London rivals in a friendly on Saturday despite Roberto De Zerbi’s side going down to 10 men. Even so, there were still plenty of positives for Xabi Alonso to take away.
Joao Pedro put in another terrific performance while leading the line, and Chelsea’s wingers looked really dangerous.
Estevao Willian managed to get his name on the scoresheet, and Jamie Gittens was a constant threat down the left flank with his dribbling and directness. In the right-back position, Marco Palestra also impressed.
Player ratings vs Tottenham
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Marco Palestra will be a surprise package this upcoming season
A lot of us are sleeping on Palestra (myself included!), but it may be time to start paying more attention to the 21-year-old, who has gone under the radar following the arrivals of Morgan Rogers, Danny Welbeck and Maxence Lacroix.
Palestra was one of the best defenders in Serie A last season and was a key target for Inter Milan before Chelsea swooped in and signed him. Admittedly, though, I was still not too convinced about this particular piece of transfer business.
Of course, the jury is still out, but after watching the Italian in the 2-1 defeat to Tottenham, there is a good chance he will end up being a bit of a surprise package at Chelsea in the upcoming campaign.
Marco Palestra of Chelsea
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Palestra was dangerous going forward and has quite a unique profile. The former Atalanta man is a 6’1″ wing-back who can play on both flanks.
Palestra has a tall and lanky frame for a wing-back/full-back, yet he looked so elegant on the ball against Spurs and seems to be quite a technical footballer.
If Alonso decides to use a back three at some stage, Palestra is going to be perfect for the right wing-back role.
All in all, with the spotlight set to be on record transfer Rogers, Palestra is likely to go about things quietly and give the Premier League a bit of a surprise when he shows spectators how good he actually is.