Chelsea defender Aaron Anselmino was reduced to tears after suffering an injury during Sunday's 3-3 pre-season friendly draw with Johor Darul Ta'zim. The 21-year-old pulled up 29 minutes into the match at Stadium Sultan Ibrahim with an apparent hamstring problem and was replaced by Reggie Watson.
As Anselmino left the pitch, he was visibly emotional and consoled by team-mates. The injury, even if not serious, hampers his chances of impressing manager Xabi Alonso ahead of the new Premier League season.
Double injury blow for Alonso
In a further setback, Mamadou Sarr was forced to withdraw from the starting line-up before kick-off despite being named in the team. The two issues land as a double injury blow for Alonso, who may have relied on the defenders for squad depth given limited transfer funds after a summer of heavy spending.
While Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Josh Acheampong, Tosin Adarabioyo and new signing Maxence Lacroix are expected to lead the defensive line, several other Chelsea defenders are likely to leave before the transfer deadline. Among them are Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah and Axel Disasi, who have struggled to make an impact in West London.
Mixed pre-season for the Blues
Chelsea's pre-season has been inconsistent, with wins over Western Sydney Warriors and AC Milan but defeats to Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus. Against Johor, Arif Aiman gave the Malaysian side an early lead before Liam Delap equalised from the penalty spot. Delap scored a second penalty early in the second half, but Oscar Arribas and Bergson put Johor ahead before an Antonio Glauder own goal secured a 3-3 draw.
Chelsea face Real Sociedad in their final pre-season friendly on Saturday, August 15 at Stamford Bridge, before opening their Premier League campaign against Fulham on August 24.
