Xabi Alonso's First Test as Chelsea Head Coach at Arsenal
Xabi Alonso faces his first real selection test as Chelsea head coach this weekend – and it comes at the Emirates Stadium.
Two games, two Premier League wins, one Carabao Cup victory. The start has been smooth. Arsenal away is anything but.
Alonso’s early blueprint under scrutiny
Alonso spoke at Cobham on Friday with the calm of a man who knows tougher days are coming but welcomes them.
“What we want is [that] we are able to adapt,” he said. “There will be games that we have a lot of possession, but we have struggled to score.
“I think that they defend in the low block, to have different tools, to have different ideas how to do it and to [have] different approaches is good. But we are in [the] early days, we have had two games, two wins.
“We are aware that we can do better, we want to do better, something that we need to keep doing well, and I think that we will improve for sure.”
Arsenal will test every part of that philosophy. Chelsea have controlled spells against Fulham and Brighton, but a trip across London to face Mikel Arteta’s side will reveal how quickly Alonso’s ideas have truly landed.
With that in mind, football.london writers Bobby Vincent and Jake Stokes have sketched out how they think Chelsea should line up in north London – and where Alonso’s biggest calls lie.
Bobby Vincent: Experience at the back, power up front
For Bobby Vincent, the first name is a simple one: Emi Martinez.
The former Arsenal goalkeeper knows the Emirates and the Emirates knows him. The reception is usually icy, the atmosphere hostile, yet the Argentine rarely shrinks. Chelsea may need that edge.
Behind Martinez, Vincent sticks with a back three: Wesley Fofana on the right, Maxence Lacroix in the centre and Levi Colwill on the left. There is a nod to youth – Josh Acheampong is mentioned as a genuine option – but on this stage, against this opposition, Vincent leans on Fofana’s “experience and knowhow”.
Out wide, Malo Gusto gets the right wing-back role. Pedro Neto impressed there last week, yet Gusto’s defensive discipline and positional sense could matter more against Arsenal’s rotations down the flanks. On the opposite side, Jorrel Hato is trusted to offer balance and security on the left.
The real gamble comes in midfield. If Moises Caicedo is fit, he plays. Vincent doesn’t see that scenario as likely, so he turns to Reece James alongside Romeo Lavia in the middle. James, usually the marauding right-back or wing-back, becomes a central pillar, offering control on the ball and bite in the duels. Lavia brings energy and progression.
Then comes the front three, and Vincent goes bold. Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers and Joao Pedro lead the line. Technical quality, movement between the lines, and enough creativity to unlock a low block or hurt Arsenal in transition.
Vincent’s XI: Emi Martinez; Wesley Fofana, Maxence Lacroix, Levi Colwill; Malo Gusto, Reece James, Romeo Lavia, Jorrel Hato; Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, Joao Pedro.
A side built on experience at the back, flexibility in midfield and fluidity in attack. If Chelsea are pushed deep, that trio up top will have to make counters count.
Jake Stokes: Keep the core, tweak the edges
Jake Stokes sees things a little differently. For him, Alonso has already found a spine – and he shouldn’t touch it.
He expects minimal changes from the team that has delivered back-to-back league wins. Martinez stays in goal. Colwill, Lacroix and Fofana remain the back-three, their understanding still forming but already promising enough to take into a game of this magnitude.
Out wide, Stokes is tempted by the same Hato–Gusto pairing that Vincent endorses for defensive solidity. Yet he senses Alonso might lean towards Pedro Neto on the right, rewarding the Portuguese for his display last week. Neto offers direct running and attacking thrust, which could pin Arsenal back and give Chelsea an outlet when the pressure rises.
Central midfield is again dictated by Caicedo’s fitness. In an ideal world, Stokes wants Caicedo and Reece James together in the engine room – a blend of ball-winning, passing range and leadership. The reality, he suspects, is that Caicedo will not be ready to start.
That opens the door to more intrigue off the bench. Stokes is particularly curious about Valentin Barco’s role. On the ball, the young Argentine is composed and inventive. Without it, he has not yet been fully exposed at Premier League level. Arsenal away is a brutal examination, and Stokes is “looking forward to seeing how he does” if called upon.
Up front, there is no debate in his mind: the frontline picks itself. The established attacking trio have earned trust early on, but Stokes also casts an eye towards the next wave. Estevao Willian and Geovany Quenda hover as potential game-changers.
If the contest is still alive on the hour mark, he would not be surprised if one of those youngsters swings it. Fresh legs, fearless approach, a tiring Arsenal defence – that’s the scenario he paints.
Big calls, big stage
Alonso’s “early days” at Chelsea now collide with a fixture that rarely allows gentle learning curves. Does he double down on the structure that has brought three wins from three competitions? Or does he spring a surprise – a James in midfield, a Neto at wing-back, a Barco cameo, or a late roll of the dice on Estevao or Quenda?
The answers will come at the Emirates, where early optimism meets its first serious examination.
