04 Oct 2026 12:50:31
So we had a behind closed gates friendly versus Posrtsmouth yesterday, obviously without our international duty players and probably some of the injured left behind, and lost 0-2. Perhaps meabs little but certainly suggests not great strength in squad depth and one suspects that some of the previously injured - like Palestra - may have been involved but who knows.

The predicted (unconfirmed) CFC lineup v Portsmouth yesterday was not a hugely weak one on paper:

Predicted Chelsea XI to face Portsmouth (3-4-3): Sharman-Lowe; Gusto, Fofana, Colwill; Palestra, Caicedo, Henderson, Chavarria; Paez, Welbeck, Emegha.

1.) 04 Oct 2026
04 Oct 2026 14:47:33
JBS, thanks for the info mate. Holly Molly that is a poor result.

2.) 05 Oct 2026
05 Oct 2026 07:45:19
Only Palestra and Emegha got a run out. The rest was mainly under 18 and the better ones were away themslves at their levels so nothing to report here.

3.) 05 Oct 2026
05 Oct 2026 10:21:10
Do you know how either Palestra or Emegha looked EbW?

4.) 05 Oct 2026
05 Oct 2026 10:43:46
No idea mate, behind closed doors. Just a training session.

5.) 06 Oct 2026
06 Oct 2026 09:03:04
I see it as a poor result with the team we put out. I personally do not believe it's ok to lose any game and all training sessions should have intensity. Bad habits start on the training ground.

What do you think Ed?

{Ed001's Note - without knowing What the plan was impossible to say. The year LFC won the league under Klopp I seem to remember losing every pre-season friendly,

6.) 06 Oct 2026
06 Oct 2026 11:00:15
Chelsea lost 2-0 to Portsmouth in a closed-doors friendly at Cobham on Saturday 3 October, but Xabi Alonso's priorities were recovery, tactical work and youth development rather than the scoreline.

Alonso used the Portsmouth friendly to work on three priorities

Football. london reported that the Blues were beaten by the Championship side during the three-week international break. With a number of senior players away on international duty, the match was treated primarily as a training exercise, not a competitive fixture.
That distinction matters. The result is still a defeat, but this was a chance for Alonso to get useful work done away from the pressure of a league match. Chelsea's squad-management challenge makes those quieter sessions important, particularly when injuries and international call-ups leave the group looking different from week to week.

The first objective was to step up recovery for several injured players. Tactical work was another, while the game also gave younger players the opportunity to feature alongside first-teamers. Those are three clear reasons for arranging the exercise; the 2-0 scoreline was not the measure Alonso was using.
The youth element is worth watching. Alonso has previously indicated that teenagers can be called on when the squad is short, naming Madhi Nicoll-Jazuli, Geo Quenda and Estevao as players who have trained with the group. A friendly like this gives young players experience in a senior setting without pretending that one appearance guarantees a place in the next competitive side.

It also gives the manager space for tactical work, though there is no confirmed formation or line-up from this match. Chelsea's tactical development under Alonso is a bigger question than whether a particular shape was used at Cobham. The primary report suggested the break offered an opportunity to improve the defence, not that a specific change had already been settled.
The defensive record gives that work real urgency. At the time of the report, Chelsea had conceded 12 goals in five Premier League games, the most in the division, and had let in at least twice in every league match. They had also conceded three against Leeds in the Carabao Cup. A friendly cannot fix that on its own, but it can help Alonso test ideas and prepare the players who will need to execute them.

There was also an uncertain fitness picture. Moises Caicedo, Cole Palmer, Reece James and Marco Palestra had all had injury issues and may have featured in some capacity, but their involvement was not confirmed. Joao Pedro had withdrawn from Brazil's squad with a knee problem and was understood to be seeing a specialist, while Jamie Gittens had suffered an issue with England Under-21s and left the stadium on crutches. None should be assumed to have played against Portsmouth.
We should judge the session by whether it helped players build fitness, sharpen the tactical work and gave younger Blues useful exposure. That does not make the defensive numbers disappear, and a 2-0 loss is hardly a confidence-boosting result. But the primary report is clear that this should not be assessed like a competitive fixture.

Alonso's league start had included wins over Fulham and Brighton, defeats to Arsenal and Brentford, and a draw with Hull City; Chelsea were 10th after five league matches. The next proper test comes at Stamford Bridge against Bournemouth on Saturday 10 October. The point is not to assume the friendly produced a particular change, but to see whether any of its work carries into the league.

7.) 06 Oct 2026
06 Oct 2026 13:20:26
The "so called" Alonso priorities do not align with mine.

I am a fan of coaches who make every minute in training or friendlies a must win atmosphere.

8.) 06 Oct 2026
06 Oct 2026 13:26:51
Are you not a fan of Alonso.

9.) 06 Oct 2026
06 Oct 2026 14:16:51
I sincerely hope the 2-0 loss does not hmget carried forward into the Bournemouth game.

At the moment we are wide open and any decent team will score a hateful of goals against us.

10.) 06 Oct 2026
06 Oct 2026 14:24:30
Bill, I think Tom is right and Alonso needs to go if we lose the next few games. Clearly not got the right Chelsea attitude if he is not trrating things serulious.

11.) 06 Oct 2026
06 Oct 2026 17:09:06
I have never suggested Alonso should "go" now or a few games in the future.
I always support our managers and I always give them time (usually a season or maybe two) to prove their worth.

I have only expressed how I prefer my team to train and play. I firmly believe that playing a game is a replication of training.

Train hard, play hard.

12.) 07 Oct 2026
07 Oct 2026 09:19:07
4 at the back anybody?

13.) 07 Oct 2026
07 Oct 2026 09:19:36
And back to man marking at set pieces.

14.) 07 Oct 2026
07 Oct 2026 09:27:20
Bill, I hope we go to four at the back and three in midfield.

15.) 07 Oct 2026
07 Oct 2026 09:57:37
So do I.