The strange draw in Malaysia reveals a major challenge for Xabi Alonso at Chelsea

The Blues concluded their preseason tour with a hard-fought 3-3 draw against Johor Darul Ta’zim, leaving Xabi Alonso with additional problems to solve just before the start of the season.

Chelsea seemed to be heading toward the end of their tour with a forgettable defeat, as they trailed 3-2 to Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta’zim until the final minutes. However, an own goal by Antonio Glauder from a difficult cross by Mykhailo Mudryk in the 89th minute allowed the London club to salvage a 3-3 draw.

This result may only be a friendly, but the performance in Malaysia exposed numerous problems for Xabi Alonso.

Chelsea entered the match under special circumstances, having just played against AC Milan in Indonesia only 24 hours earlier. Therefore, Alonso changed the entire starting lineup, using many young players in defense and midfield.

Nevertheless, the attack still featured expensive names like Estevao, Liam Delap, and Nicolas Jackson. Delap impressed by converting two penalties, turning the game from a deficit to a 2-1 lead for Chelsea.

But Alonso's problem is not a lack of strikers; on the contrary, Chelsea has too many options. In addition to Delap and Jackson, the Spanish coach also has João Pedro, Danny Welbeck, Emmanuel Emegha, Marc Guiu, and a host of players who can play near the goal like Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, or Estêvão. Mudryk also returned earlier than expected at the end of July.

According to British media, Chelsea's squad currently has 41 players. With no European competition next season, managing such a large squad could become as big a problem as selecting the starting lineup.

More worrying for Alonso is the sign of a lack of psychological control among the players.

Johor Darul Ta’zim started with high intensity, constantly challenging fiercely and causing Chelsea to lose their composure multiple times. Delap and Jackson both received yellow cards for reacting to the referee. Estevao was also cautioned after retaliating when he felt he deserved a penalty, a situation that could have resulted in a red card for the Brazilian.

That is not a signal Alonso can take lightly. Chelsea received 11 red cards last season, double that of any other team, and also a club record.

Alonso's addition of experienced players like Danny Welbeck, 35, and Jordan Henderson, 36, is seen as part of an effort to balance a dressing room that has too many young players. However, the match in Malaysia showed that discipline issues cannot disappear in just a few weeks.

Chelsea also continued to expose fragility in defense. Arif Aiman opened the scoring for JDT after a fast counterattack. After Delap gave Chelsea the lead, the home team took only three minutes to equalize through a deflected free kick by Óscar Arribas, before Bérgson scored a long-range shot to make it 3-2 late in the match.

Alonso now has little time left. Chelsea will have their final friendly against Real Sociedad before the new Premier League season begins.

Morgan Rogers, Reece James, and Enzo Fernández are also expected to return to training this week after an extended break. That means Alonso will finally have the opportunity to work with almost the entire squad.

After a tour with three matches in three countries within just five days, Chelsea have returned to London. The friendlies are over, but the real challenge for Xabi Alonso has perhaps only just begun.