Press reports have highlighted Spanish coach Xabi Alonso, the new technical director of Chelsea, who has succeeded in outlining the features of his new project with the Blues.
This comes after the team played its first two friendly matches during the preparation period for the new season, securing a big win over Western Sydney Wanderers by a score of 6-4, before losing to Tottenham 2-1.
According to the reports, the two matches revealed some features of Alonso's ideas, with Cole Palmer becoming the focal point of the attacking play, while Brazilian João Pedro established himself as the first-choice striker after scoring a hat-trick against Western Sydney, outperforming Liam Delap and Nicolas Jackson.
The young duo Estevão and Jamie Bynoe-Gittens also caught the eye, especially the latter, who affirmed his desire to prove himself with the team and praised the individual support provided to him by Alonso.
In defense, the Spanish coach's choices indicate reliance on Wesley Fofana and Levi Colwill as the starting pair, while Benoît Badiashile, Axel Disasi, and Trevoh Chalobah are close to departing after being left out of the matches.
In midfield, Alonso is still searching for the ideal combination, with several internationals absent, as the duo of Roméo Lavia and Dario Essugo failed to deliver the expected performance against Tottenham.
The preparatory period also brought positive news with the return of Ukrainian Mykhailo Mudryk after the end of his suspension, as Alonso expressed his happiness at his comeback, noting that he will be an important part of the team's project next season.
According to the reports, the two friendly matches gave Alonso early indications about the shape of the new Chelsea he is seeking to build by blending experienced players with young talents in preparation for the start of the new season.