Xabi Alonso has options in almost every area of the pitch this season, but the shape of Chelsea’s best XI isn’t fixed.
Across pre-season, the Blues have lined up in both a back four and a back five, and which one gets picked out changes who starts, not just how the team is arranged.
Here’s the full depth chart position by position, plus what the XI likely looks like under each system.
Which Formation Will Chelsea Play?
Alonso has used two distinct shapes through pre-season, and both look like genuine options rather than one being a fallback for the other.
The win over AC Milan gave the clearest look yet at how far this goes: Alonso switched between a back four and a back five within that same game, changing shape depending on the state of the match rather than committing to one system for the full ninety minutes.
The back four has typically looked like a 4-2-3-1. A double pivot shields the defence, Cole Palmer sits central behind the striker, and width comes from wingers either side.
The back five has come out as more of a 3-4-2-1, adding an extra centre-back, pushing the full-backs into genuine wing-back roles, and pairing Palmer with a second, more advanced central player rather than out wide.
The centre-back pool is the clue to which system is coming. Chelsea have six senior options there, which is more than a back four needs but exactly enough to make a back three sustainable across a season with rotation.
Expect the choice to shift game to game depending on the opponent, the scoreline and who’s fit, rather than Alonso settling on one system permanently.
Chelsea Squad Depth Chart
Goalkeepers
Starter: Robert Sánchez
Backup: Mike Penders
Third choice: Teddy Sharman-Lowe
Sánchez will go into the season as Alonso’s first-choice shot-stopper, built on his experience and his familiarity with the Premier League. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Penders eventually usurps him, though.
The Belgian is highly rated at the Bridge and impressed while out on loan at a sister club last season.
Sharman-Lowe will certainly be third choice and shouldn’t expect plenty of game time, with minutes likely shared between the two ahead of him unless there’s a serious injury.
Centre-backs
Depth pool: Levi Colwill, Maxence Lacroix, Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Mamadou Sarr, Josh Acheampong
This group has thinned out since pre-season began. Benoît Badiashile has reportedly joined Napoli and drops out of the pool entirely, while Tosin is drawing interest from Benfica and other Premier League clubs and looks likely to move on before the window shuts.
Acheampong has been added here too, though recent reports also link him with a move to Coventry City under Frank Lampard, so his spot isn’t guaranteed either.
Colwill will definitely be the name on the team sheet, but he’s still being carefully managed after the ACL injury that kept him out for most of last season, so expect some rotation rather than every-week minutes.
He’ll likely be partnered by Lacroix or Fofana, with Trevoh Chalobah having already moved on to Como. Sarr and Aaron Anselmino could also depart before the window closes.
In games where Alonso wants a back three, Lacroix, Fofana and Colwill are the likeliest trio, though Reece James dropping into a right-sided centre-back role isn’t out of the question either.
Alonso has already confirmed he wants to keep four or five senior defenders for the season.
Full-backs / Wing-backs
Right side: Reece James (starter), Marco Palestra, Malo Gusto
Left side: Pep Chavarría (starter), Jorrel Hato
This is the position group the formation question complicates the most. As club captain, James is the natural starter, and playing only one game a week should help manage his fitness through the season.
Pre-season has also shown Alonso pushing one full-back very wide and high, and that role looks suited to James in particular.
The knock-on effect is that when James plays in that advanced position, Palestra or Chavarría may need to hold the width on the left to keep the attack balanced.
Hato could also deputise at left centre-back from time to time, since he’s a touch more defensively minded than either Palestra or Chavarría.
Gusto’s situation is trickier still. It’s genuinely unclear whether he’ll still be a Chelsea player by the end of the transfer window.
In a back four, James and Chavarría play as conventional full-backs, tucked in and defensively focused. In a back five, both push higher and wider as genuine wing-backs, with more licence to get forward.
Central Midfield
Starters: Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández
Depth: Romeo Lavia, Jordan Henderson, Mike Penders, Valentín Barco
The deadline for clubs interested in Fernández passed on Friday evening, and as things stand he’s set to stay at the club, which makes picking the double pivot far more straightforward.
Caicedo and Fernández start, with Lavia, who has impressed in pre-season and recently completed his first ninety minutes in three years, the clear third option.
Henderson and Barco provide further competition for those rotation minutes, and the door isn’t fully shut on another midfield addition if Fernández’s situation changes again before deadline day.
Attacking Midfield / Number 10
Starter: Cole Palmer
Also capable in this role: Estêvão
Palmer is first choice centrally in both systems, but Estêvão’s technical profile means he isn’t limited to a wide role.
Alonso has trialled him centrally through pre-season, while João Pedro has also played there behind new signing Danny Welbeck, and Nicolas Jackson has picked up minutes in the position too, albeit drifting in from the left.
Expect Estêvão to be used behind the striker at times, particularly in the back-five shape, where a second advanced midfielder lines up alongside Palmer rather than out wide.
What does look settled is that Alonso wants two number 10s on the pitch regardless of formation.
Wide Forwards
Right side: Pedro Neto (starter), Estêvão, Geovany Quenda
Left side: Morgan Rogers (starter), Jamie Gittens
There are rumours Neto could leave, with Manchester City and Saudi clubs both credited with interest.
If he stays, he’s the preferred option on the right, not just for his experience but because he gives Alonso the flexibility to switch between a back four and a back five mid-game without changing personnel.
Quenda offers something similar thanks to his willingness to track back. Set against that, minutes look a bit tighter for Estêvão on the right specifically, reserved more for matches against deep defensive blocks where his dribbling is most needed, with his central role described above likely to be the bigger part of his season.
On the left, Rogers looks set to be first choice, deputised by either Gittens or Mykhailo Mudryk, who has now returned from his ban.
Mudryk is reportedly considering a loan move of his own before the window shuts.
Striker
Starter: João Pedro
Backup: Liam Delap, Nicolas Jackson, Danny Welbeck, Marc Guiu
João Pedro’s outstanding form from last season has carried straight into pre-season, with five goals in as many games. Guiu wasn’t part of the tour and looks set to depart, whether on loan or permanently.
New signing Emmanuel Emegha’s immediate future is also unclear. He scored twice in two behind-closed-doors friendlies but then picked up an injury that ruled him out of the tour entirely.
Delap, meanwhile, is attracting interest from Como and elsewhere in the Premier League and looks likely to leave.
Understand Liam Delap prefers to stay in the Premier League.
Italian side Como have shown interest in the Chelsea striker.
Delap is hoping Premier League club make offers.
🤝 @alex_crook pic.twitter.com/pufzbJEtJM
— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) August 15, 2026
Despite playing just once a week for most of the season, Chelsea will still want to carry three senior strikers. Two of those slots are already accounted for by João Pedro and Welbeck.
Jackson looks the ideal option to keep the third, given his versatility both up top and drifting off the front, which could help Alonso’s rotation plans and even help unlock more space for Palmer.
Expected Lineup by Formation
Back Four (4-2-3-1)
Sánchez; James, Colwill, Lacroix, Chavarría; Caicedo, Fernández; Neto, Palmer, Rogers; João Pedro.
Back Five (3-4-2-1)
Sánchez; Colwill, Lacroix, Tosin; James, Caicedo, Fernández, Chavarría; Palmer, Estêvão; João Pedro.
Frequently Asked Questions
What formation does Chelsea play?
Chelsea have used both a back four (4-2-3-1) and a back five (3-4-2-1) under Xabi Alonso this pre-season, sometimes switching between the two within the same match, as seen against AC Milan. Which one starts tends to depend on the opponent and the state of the game rather than being fixed week to week.
Who starts at centre-back for Chelsea?
Levi Colwill is first choice when fit, with Maxence Lacroix and Wesley Fofana the likeliest partners in a back four. Tosin Adarabioyo, Mamadou Sarr and Josh Acheampong add further depth, though transfer speculation means that pool could shrink before the window closes.
Who is Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper?
Robert Sánchez is Chelsea’s number one on current experience, with Mike Penders pushing him for the position and Teddy Sharman-Lowe as third choice.
Does Estêvão play as a winger or a number 10 for Chelsea?
Both. His technical profile lets Alonso use him wide alongside Pedro Neto and the other forwards, or centrally behind the striker in a double-10 role alongside Cole Palmer, depending on the system and the opponent.
