Chelsea were beaten 2-0 by Championship side Portsmouth on Saturday as Xabi Alonso used a behind-closed-doors friendly to give minutes to players working their way back to fitness.
The game, which was played away from public view, included a mixture of first-team players, academy youngsters and members of the squad returning from injury.
Sources described the match primarily as a training exercise, meaning Chelsea are not believed to be concerned by the result. Alonso also used the fixture to work on tactical issues during the three-week international break.
Chelsea’s next Premier League fixture is against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on October 10. The Cherries are still waiting for their first league victory under new head coach Marco Rose after five rounds of matches.
A number of Chelsea’s senior players were unavailable because of international commitments. Morgan Rogers was among those away with England after scoring the seventh goal in their 7-0 Nations League victory over Croatia on Saturday.
Portsmouth, meanwhile, are preparing for their next Championship fixture under John Mousinho. They currently sit 19th in the second tier and face a South Coast derby against Southampton.
The result will nevertheless give Alonso another opportunity to assess his squad during a difficult start to his Chelsea tenure.
Defensive organisation is a particular concern. Chelsea have conceded 12 goals in their opening five Premier League matches, leaving them with the division’s worst defensive record.
Alonso has therefore been using the international break to address how his team can prevent opponents from finding the net so regularly.
One of the major decisions facing the Spaniard when Bournemouth visit Stamford Bridge will be whether to retain his preferred three-man defence or switch to a more conventional back four.
The Portsmouth fixture provided another opportunity to work on those tactical ideas while also giving players returning from injury valuable match minutes.
Alonso has previous experience of arranging similar fixtures away from the spotlight. He organised behind-closed-doors matches against Crawley and Bromley during the summer before Chelsea’s pre-season tour of Australia and Asia.
Both of those games ended in victory, but the Portsmouth defeat means Chelsea have now experienced a different outcome from their latest training exercise.
The result itself is unlikely to be Alonso’s primary concern. With the Premier League returning next weekend, the greater value will come from assessing fitness levels, testing tactical solutions and preparing Chelsea for the Bournemouth challenge.