During a friendly match against Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim in Jakarta, Chelsea’s new manager Xabi Alonso had to step in to separate players after a heated exchange. The incident occurred following a poor challenge by Johor Darul Ta’zim’s Antonio Glauder on Chelsea striker Liam Delap, sparking frustration among the Blues players. Austin MacPhee, Chelsea’s set-piece coach, lost his temper and had to be dragged away by Alonso after arguing with the opposing coach (dailyrecord.co.uk).
The match ended in a 3-3 draw, with Delap scoring twice from penalties. Alonso made 11 changes to the lineup, including forcing Aaron Anselmino and Trevoh Chalobah off the pitch due to injury concerns (standard.co.uk). The game highlighted ongoing challenges for the new manager, including managing a bloated forward selection and addressing inexperience and indiscipline from previous seasons (theguardian.com).
Alonso’s pre-season campaign has focused on integrating new players and building team cohesion. The friendly against JDT marked the end of Chelsea’s pre-season tour, with mixed results. The clash with MacPhee and the tactical adjustments suggest Alonso is working through the early hurdles of his tenure.
