Xabi Alonso Forced Into Tough Decision As Chelsea Star Makes Early Return to Training

Chelsea have welcomed goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez back to training ahead of schedule after the Argentina international found protective gear to help him manage his broken jaw.

A tough collision with Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite left Martínez needing emergency surgery midway through October. Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso suggested the goalkeeper would need weeks on the sidelines, but his recovery process has been swift.

Martínez has sought out specialist equipment to facilitate a faster return to action and he was spotted in training on Thursday wearing a strap around his jaw to go alongside a hat.

It suggests that Martínez could be ready to make his return from the gruesome injury after just three weeks, although whether he has been cleared to play competitively is not yet known.

Chelsea are no strangers to seeing their goalkeepers operate with protective gear. The legendary Petr Čech wore a padded headguard after suffering a fractured skull during a match in October 2006, sporting the cap for the remaining 13 years of his career. Martínez will hope his newest accessory is not so permanent.

If Martínez is ready to go, Alonso must now decide whether to restore him to the starting lineup or continue to give young understudy Mike Penders a run in the team.

The towering Belgian made a horrible error in the 2–0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur but bounced back with a clean sheet against Manchester United, pulling off a glorious save to deny Bryan Mbeumo that earned him a nomination for the Premier League Save of the Month award for October.

Alonso must now decide whether Penders has done enough to earn an extended spell in the starting lineup or whether to turn back to Martínez, recruited this summer to add some much-needed experience to the squad.

Penders’s mistake against Spurs made it abundantly clear that the 21-year-old is still in need of senior experience, although he cannot gain that experience if he remains sat on the bench.

Indeed, it came as somewhat of a surprise to see Penders kept around as Chelsea’s backup goalkeeper this season. He had a productive loan with Strasbourg last season but was replaced at the French side by another Blues loanee, Filip Jörgensen, this year.

Nevertheless, Martínez was recruited for a reason. Chelsea’s defense is under significant pressure these days—a clean sheet against a misfiring United side can only boost a reputation so much—and a more-experienced head may well be needed between the posts against Sunderland.