Chelsea FC's preseason has gotten off to a rocky start, with back-to-back defeats to Juventus and Tottenham Hotspur. The team's manager, Xabi Alonso, has been encouraged by some performances, but there are concerns about the team's overall quality and tactical clarity. Chelsea FC's trip to Hong Kong ended in a 1–0 defeat to Juventus on Wednesday, as a preseason outing of few chances was decided by a stunning Edon Zhegrova strike. Xabi Alonso wasn’t too discouraged by his side’s defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the weekend, with an inspired Antonín Kinsky performance preventing the Blues from earning a positive result. However, Chelsea have now suffered back-to-back defeats, and the nature of their performance here may raise a few alarm bells. There was tactical clarity from the manager, but Alonso’s team was compromised by a stubborn Italian outfit and a bobbly playing surface. The match lacked quality and became frustratingly stop-start in the second half, given the glut of substitutions. Although it was a Bianconeri arrival who proved the difference, with Zhegrova’s first-time effort from distance catching Mike Penders out after 68 minutes. The game’s only goal was one of just six shots on target the two teams combined for at Kai Tak Sports Park. Alonso suggested in his prematch press conference that veteran addition Danny Welbeck was ready to feature for his new club, and the Englishman was named in Chelsea’s starting lineup on Wednesday. With Cole Palmer missing out, Welbeck worked closely with João Pedro, whom he knows well from their time spent at Watford and Brighton & Hove Albion together. However, we seldom saw the pair combine in Hong Kong after a neat interaction early on from a Robert Sánchez kick upfield to bypass Juventus’ press. The more impressive combination come down the right-hand side. Alonso’s possession shape was a 3-2-4-1, and there was plenty of freedom for newbies Marco Palestra and Geovany Quenda to rotate. The latter was sharp on debut. He looked crisp technically and an adequate crosser with his left foot. Quenda dovetailed nicely with Palestra, who’s comfortable infield but looks most dangerous on the gallop. The Italian is an impressive athlete who attacks space effectively. He can get stuck one-on-one, but we caught a glimpse as to why Chelsea signed the fullback this summer. While the right side brought promise, Jamie Gittens was offered little support down the opposite flank. Jorrel Hato is less inclined to surge forward, leaving Gittens with much more work to do to bypass his markers and create. In the first half, particularly, Chelsea’s left side was dormant in possession. The new Chelsea manager has spoken highly of the latest crop of Cobham graduates, and one of their gems is Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli. The midfielder became the youngest starter and goalscorer in the UEFA Youth League last season, spending much of his time with the U18s. His talent is seismic, and Alonso has been taken aback. At the start of Chelsea’s tour, the Chelsea boss said Nicoll-Jazuli boasts “special qualities that you don’t see that often from a 16-year-old.” The teenager came on at halftime in the defeat to Spurs at the weekend, and was included in the starting lineup here. There are wrinkles for Nicoll-Jazuli to iron out. Importantly, though, he doesn’t look overawed. Physically, he can compete, and his work in counter-pressing moments was particularly impressive against Juve. Playing alongside captain Moisés Caicedo certainly helped, yet Nicoll-Jazuli boasts his own sense of assurance that aided the Ecuadorian, too. Together, they worked well to stymie Juventus’ attacks. Chelsea FC is currently 10th in the Premier League table with 52 points from 38 games, and has a recent form of LWDLL. The team is 33 points behind leaders Arsenal in the title race. Chelsea FC has scored 58 goals this season, while conceding 52.