Joao Pedro double seals Chelsea win as Rogers makes instant impact
Morgan Rogers scored on his Chelsea debut as Xabi Alonso won his first home match in charge, a 3-1 victory over Real Sociedad in the club’s final pre-season friendly at Stamford Bridge.
Rogers, signed for £117million ($158m) from Aston Villa this summer, opened the scoring from close range and Joao Pedro scored twice in the second half, while Jon Aramburu got one back for the visitors. It capped a mixed pre-season with a positive result and gave Alonso his first win at the Bridge since taking over.
The afternoon was also notable for what happened off the ball. Chelsea had set Manchester City, or any interested club, a deadline of 5pm on Friday to lodge a £120million bid for Enzo Fernandez. No offer arrived, and the Argentina international was booed by sections of the crowd when his name was read out and again when he came on, though plenty of others chanted his name when he wore the captain’s armband for his half hour on the pitch.
Rogers offers an early clue under Alonso
Rogers only began training with his new teammates on Tuesday after an extended post-World Cup break, so the tap-in – turned in after Alex Remiro got a hand to Joao Pedro’s header – arrived earlier than most would have expected. For the opening 25 minutes he looked the part, drifting into the left pocket and outshining fellow No 10 Cole Palmer before the rust that comes with a short pre-season crept in.
He stayed on for the start of the second half too, whipping in a delightful cross from the right that nobody arrived to finish, before coming off just after the hour mark. It was a useful run-out rather than a statement, but as Nizaar Kinsella noted for BBC Sport, Rogers looked sharp in his movement off the ball throughout.
For Alonso, this was the third straight friendly played with three at the back, and it offers an early indication of his intended shape for the Premier League opener. Maxence Lacroix started in the middle of that back three for the first time, with Levi Colwill to his left and Wesley Fofana to his right – though Fofana’s suspension for the opening two league games means that slot is up for grabs. Reece James operated in midfield rather than at wing-back, and if Fernandez stays, he looks set to partner Moises Caicedo there against Fulham.
Rogers and Palmer look set to play behind Joao Pedro, with Pedro Neto and Marco Palestra as the wing-back options – Neto’s continued involvement is notable given he has not been placed on the club’s not-for-sale list. Our breakdown of Alonso’s tactical approach goes into more detail on how that shape is meant to function, and how it links to his time at Bayer Leverkusen.
What happens next
Alonso still named a 24-man squad despite senior players such as Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap, Tosin Adarabioyo, Mykhailo Mudryk and Mamadou Sarr all missing out entirely – a strong signal that all five will be moved on, permanently or on loan, before the transfer deadline. Jordan Henderson’s absence was expected given his World Cup wrist injury, while Danny Welbeck was left out despite clearly being part of the manager’s plans, and Emmanuel Emegha sat out the tour with a hamstring issue.
The Fernandez situation remains the more pressing subplot. City’s failure to meet the £120million deadline doesn’t necessarily end the saga, and Alonso avoided any media duties before or after the game, so his read on the midfielder’s status is still unknown. For more on how Rogers is settling into that dressing room dynamic, see our piece on his relationship with Alonso and reunion with Palmer.
None of this proves Alonso has solved Chelsea’s bigger squad problems, but it does offer a genuine early clue as to his preferred XI. Chelsea now have nine days to prepare before the Premier League opener at Fulham on Monday, August 24 – a game coached by Alvaro Arbeloa, Alonso’s former teammate and the man who succeeded him at Real Madrid.
In other news…
Cole Palmer’s role under the new manager has been a talking point throughout pre-season – read more in our piece on Palmer’s training bib and Alonso’s early squad choices.
For a deeper look at how the 3-4-3 shape is meant to work in practice, check out our explainer on Alonso’s tactical setup.
