Chelsea's World Cup dip gives Xabi Alonso a deeper pre-season pool

Chelsea's World Cup campaign has offered little in terms of involvement or standout performances, leaving manager Xabi Alonso with a surprisingly large pool for pre‑season. While more than ten Blues missed selection, ten received call‑ups and only five have actually taken the field for their nations.

Xabi Alonso will inherit a broader squad for most of the pre‑season after the club's disappointing league campaign. Cole Palmer, Joao Pedro and over ten other Chelsea players were omitted from their national team rosters.

Ten Blues earned World Cup call‑ups, yet only five have featured so far. Reece James started England's matches against Croatia and Ghana but failed to reach his best form and suffered a minor hamstring injury against Ghana before returning as an unused substitute versus DR Congo.

James remains in contention for England's last‑16 clash with Mexico in the early hours of Monday. Pedro Neto started all four of Portugal's games, providing an assist against DR Congo, while Portugal progressed to the last 16 after beating Croatia, though neither Neto nor his side have impressed.

Moises Caicedo completed every Ecuadorian fixture before their exit to Mexico and captained the side in the decisive Group E match against Germany, delivering an impressive performance in a 2‑1 win. Enzo Fernández started and finished two Argentina games in a deeper midfield role before being rested for the Jordan match after qualification was secured.

Argentina will look to reach the last 16 when they meet Cape Verde at 23:00 BST on Friday. Nicolas Jackson started twice for Senegal, added two substitute appearances, and recorded an assist in the 2‑1 last‑32 defeat to Norway, yet his overall impact remained limited.

Bayern Munich have confirmed Jackson's return to Chelsea, a move already widely anticipated, and he is expected back for pre‑season under Alonso. Malo Gusto logged three substitute appearances – Iraq, Norway and Sweden – totalling just 25 minutes, while Mamadou Sarr, Jorrel Hato, Kendry Paez, Mike Penders and Trevoh Chalobah have yet to feature for their national sides.

The contrast between limited World Cup minutes and a sizeable squad means Alonso can shape a competitive group ahead of Chelsea's upcoming Australasia tour later this month. Those knocked out in the last 32 are expected to resume training in time for the tour.