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Familiar problems were there for all to see against Juventus as the Blues slumped to a second straight pre-season defeat.

Pre-season is meant to be about building match fitness and understanding, but for the second game in a row Chelsea looked short of spark as they found it difficult to break down Juventus before being undone in the second half by a brilliant curling strike from Edon Zhegrova.

Xabi Alonso’s team looked bereft of ideas as they searched for an equaliser and, even with Mykhailo Mudryk back in the side, they never really appeared capable of seriously troubling the Juventus defence.

It is now back-to-back defeats for Alonso and Chelsea, who will be desperate for a badly needed lift in confidence when they face AC Milan in Indonesia this weekend.

Geovany Quenda’s £40 million arrival has gone somewhat unnoticed amid yet another summer of change at Chelsea.

The 19-year-old had not initially travelled with the squad to Australia because of a minor knock, and he sat out the opening two matches of Chelsea’s tour.

Now fit again, Quenda was trusted by Alonso from the start against Juventus, and the Chelsea head coach is likely to have been encouraged by his display.

The Portuguese winger provided a lively outlet in attack for the Blues as they controlled the early stages of the match.

Combining neatly with right-back Marco Palestra, Quenda was allowed the freedom to drift infield and try to create openings, including one inswinging cross that Danny Welbeck headed wide.

His close control in testing conditions stood out, and he repeatedly wanted the ball and looked to carry Chelsea up the pitch.

Quenda is clearly not short of self-belief, and he seems ready to step straight into Chelsea’s starting XI and make his mark.

Chelsea are in desperate need of trimming their centre-back options before the transfer window shuts.

Even though Trevoh Chalobah’s £31 million move to Como has finally been agreed, the Blues still have plenty to sort out before Alonso can feel he has a settled defence.

That ongoing uncertainty does Alonso no favours as he tries to put together a backline he can trust.

Without the injured Levi Colwill, Chelsea looked exposed and paid the price in the second half when Zhegrova struck.

Alonso would have wanted to see a partnership develop between Colwill and Wesley Fofana on this tour, but fitness issues have once again intervened and halted any momentum they might have built.

So many of Chelsea’s problems in recent years have come from a lack of continuity and understanding at the back.

With only three weeks remaining before the Premier League season begins, they do not appear any nearer to forging those defensive relationships.

Alonso has made his thinking on Chelsea’s goalkeeping situation very clear.

Robert Sanchez and Mike Penders are both set to challenge for the No. 1 shirt this season, with neither player assured of regular game time.

Sanchez has divided opinion in goal for Chelsea since joining from Brighton in 2023, and there remain question marks over whether he can compete with the elite goalkeepers in Europe.

Penders, meanwhile, is coming off an impressive campaign with BlueCo sister club Strasbourg, though he does not yet have experience at the highest level.

There is no obvious frontrunner to become Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper, and it will be interesting to see whether Alonso starts leaning towards either Sanchez or Penders in the closing weeks of pre-season.

What the Juventus game did underline, however, is that some habits remain difficult for Sanchez to shake off, and while he is still an excellent shot-stopper, his control of the penalty area leaves plenty to be desired.

The Spaniard was fortunate to escape punishment after misjudging one cross into his box in the first half, and he will know that a single error could be all the encouragement Penders needs to strengthen his case for a place in the side.