Rogers' debut, 3-4-3 and Fernandez's reception - Alonso's mixed Chelsea display

Chelsea ended pre-season with a mixed 3-1 victory over Real Sociedad as manager Xabi Alonso offered more clues about the formation his side could play ahead of their Premier League opener against Fulham.

For a third straight match, Chelsea started with a back three, replicating Alonso's successful 3-4-3 system from his time at Bayer Leverkusen when they won the Bundesliga in 2024, as British-record signing Morgan Rogers and defender Maxence Lacroix both made their debuts.

However, despite Rogers netting a tap-in within just 10 minutes, Chelsea laboured in the first-half, sitting too deep and unable to press their LaLiga opponents, who deservedly equalised before half-time through Jon Mikel Aramburu's brilliant volley after forcing goalkeeper Robert Sanchez into several saves.

But Alonso sent his side out unchanged after the break and they were much improved, Joao Pedro heading in from Reece James' cross just two minutes into the half before the striker netted his seventh of pre-season late on with a tidy finish.

Enzo Fernandez, though, added to Chelsea's mixed afternoon when his introduction as a 62nd-minute substitute was met by boos from some supporters following his transfer links with Manchester City, but also cheers from others who sang his name.

Alonso fielded a 4-2-3-1 in Chelsea's first three pre-season games but after switching to 3-4-3 against AC Milan - their best performance of the summer in a 3-0 win - it appears he could stick with it heading into their opening match.

His 3-4-3 formation is so fluid that at times against Real Sociedad it looked like Chelsea were playing with a four-man defence, with Moises Caicedo dropping into the back line to collect the ball and Wesley Fofana pushed wide on the right.

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But the clue was in Chelsea's defending: wing-backs Pedro Neto and Marco Palaestra were penned into a back five, while Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer operated as inside forwards. Three at the back also suits Maxence Lacroix, who mastered the middle centre-back position at Crystal Palace.

Alonso's system did have clear issues in the first half. Chelsea sat too deep, unable to get out of their half while struggling to press Sociedad. When they tried to, the distances to their opponents were too great to cover. The difference after the break was how high Chelsea played, making their press easier and putting pressure on Sociedad. The back three dominated the ball on the halfway line and Palestra and Neto forced the wingers back.

The formation remains a work in progress for now and Alonso has the flexibility within his squad to change to a four-man defence should he want to, but even when he made a flurry of substitutions in the second half, the back three remained.

Enzo Fernandez received a mixed reception in his appearance in pre-season less than 24 hours after Manchester City missed Chelsea's self-imposed 5pm deadline to bid for the midfielder.

It is now expected Fernandez will stay at Chelsea for the 2026/27 season with Real Madrid having also been linked after the midfielder's own admission in April that he would like to move to Madrid one day - comments that saw him dropped from the first team for two games.

Then, there were Argentina's antics at the World Cup, in which Fernandez was involved, especially against England and Spain - the home countries of the two teams playing on Saturday.

That said, it's hard to tell exactly who was booing and why. Was it the international connection? Or were some Chelsea fans disgruntled that he has been linked with direct rivals?

There were cheers for him as well and the booing decreased as the game went on. By the end, fans were chanting 'Oh Enzo Fernandez' more than anything.

What is true, though, is Fernandez remains key for Chelsea and is likely central to Alonso's thinking. The best way he can truly get the Blues back onside is by performing on the pitch.

Chelsea's Premier League campaign begins at Fulham in the first Monday Night Football of the season at 8pm on August 24, live on Sky Sports.

July 28: Chelsea 6-4 Western Sydney Wanderers - SydneyAugust 1: Chelsea 1-2 Tottenham - SydneyAugust 5: Chelsea 0-1 Juventus - Hong KongAugust 8: Chelsea 3-0 AC Milan - JakartaAugust 9: Johor Darul Ta'zim 3-3 Chelsea - JohorAugust 15: Chelsea vs Real Sociedad - Stamford Bridge