Chelsea have mysteriously left out their second choice goalkeeper from their second string team playing today.
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Chelsea are about to play Johor Darul Ta’zim in a friendly in Malaysia. There’s nothing strange about that – but what is unusual is that it’s the second friendly in 24 hours for the Blues.
That was always what was planned, and as expected Xabi Alonso has fully rotated his team. There are enough players in the travelling party to make up two XIs, and the new manager wants to see them all in action.
But even with a fully changed team, there is one rather odd decision we want to get to the bottom of.
Big question over one absent Chelsea man
Of all the positions in the team, goalkeeper is perhaps the one with most questions about it. Robert Sanchez is the starter, but Mike Penders has been brought back from his loan at Strasbourg to compete for that spot.
That’s why it’s curious that, after Sanchez started yesterday, we see Teddy Sharman-Lowe in goal today and not Penders. The Belgian isn’t even on the bench.
Next weekend’s game against Real Sociedad will likely see Alonso pick his strongest team in preparation for his first Premier League game a week later, so we won’t see Penders then either. This was the last chance for him to get a game, and we can’t see why (apart from injury) he’s not been included.
In other news…
Romeo Lavia started and finished yesterday afternoon’s game – the first time he’s managed that in two years at Chelsea.
Chelsea beat Milan 3-0 in their most impressive preseason game so far this summer, with Moises Caicedo scoring and assisting.
