Xabi Alonso put his players through the paces ahead of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup fourth round match against Liverpool.
Xabi Alonso has completed preparations at the Cobham Training Ground ahead of Chelsea’s Carabao Cup 4th round match against Liverpool.
The Blues have a lot of work to do after Saturday evening’s disappointing defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, so they will be determined to get back to winning ways at Anfield on Wednesday night. Over the past few days, the likes of Estevao Willian have been given a chance to start with Cole Palmer’s suspension.
Otherwise, it remains to be seen whether the Chelsea manager will make wholesale changes. While Alonso will be desperate to celebrate his debut season with a piece of silverware, he may recognize the value of rotating his side ahead of a potentially season-defining clash.
The Blues face Manchester United on Saturday afternoon. After playing Andoni Iraola’s side, Chelsea will have just two days to return to their training base in Surrey, recharge and prepare to face the Red Devils.
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The Blues fell to fifth in the Premier League after losing to the Lilywhites, losing a vital place in the race for Champions League qualification; If results across the country don’t go their way, they could drop further down the table.
Likewise, the Carabao Cup offers a route to Europe, so Alonso can throw the kitchen sink at Liverpool. Only time will tell…
So with that being said, football.london reviewed five things you missed in training this week.
Alonso works closely with Caicedo and Henderson
During a special training session, Alonso was seen chatting with Moises Caicedo and Jordan Henderson. Chelsea struggled to play through the press when they faced Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, and whether it was a tactical decision or a technical issue, they often resorted to playing long balls into the channels.
The Blues surrendered control of the game and deservedly lost. Chelsea faced a similar problem when they locked horns with Brentford before the international break in October, so hopefully the Spaniard will work hard over the last few days to improve his side’s central forwards.
Six Chelsea stars are nowhere to be seen
Not surprisingly, Amy Martinez, Reece James and Jamie Gittens did not appear in the final training pictures. Worryingly, there was no sign of Joao Pedro, who has recently been troubled by a knee problem, Pep Chavarria, who is nursing a knock, or Emmanuel Emega, who “should be feeling better” after a setback in his recovery from a knee problem.
Palmer is also out of business
Cole Palmer also did not appear in the game. The midfielder was shown a second yellow card in Chelsea’s defeat to Tottenham at the weekend, ruling him out for the match at Anfield. Fortunately, he will at least return to action against Manchester United on Saturday afternoon.
Estevao claims
Estevao could return to the starting lineup on Wednesday night. The winger has started each of the previous two rounds of the Carabao Cup; his most recent outing was cut short at half-time when he failed to impress in a dramatic comeback against Leeds United.
Lacroix braves the weather
Maxence Lacroix was the only player not wearing winter gear, be it gloves, hat or snood, as he braved the wet and windy weather at the Cobham training ground this week. Henderson seemed to be the only player wearing shorts without a base layer and was the only player not wearing gloves, but he couldn’t resist a hat to keep his head warm!