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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Sam Cunningham at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium

Seesaw draw in Malaysia gives Xabi Alonso food for thought at Chelsea

Xabi Alonso Chelsea Malaysia Delap JDT Estêvão Nicolas Jackson Danny Welbeck EPL Morgan Rogers
Xabi Alonso is confronted by Kevin Medina of JDT.
Xabi Alonso is confronted by Kevin Medina of JDT during the preseason friendly match. Photograph: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC/Getty Images

Chelsea’s problems mounted as their pre-season tour came to an end in a strangely fiery draw against the Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim. The omens do not look promising with a bloated choice of forwards, echoes of their inexperience and indiscipline last season, and fewer than two weeks for the new manager, Xabi Alonso, to reintegrate key players and work with the entirety of his squad before they kick off the Premier League season against Fulham – managed by his old friend Álvaro Arbeloa – on 24 August.

Alonso, tasked with transforming a club that finished 10th in the Premier League last season into Champions League qualifiers, made 11 changes for the friendly against JDT. He rested players after beating Milan with a strong lineup only 24 hours earlier, 600 miles away.

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