Chelsea's emotional victory in Xabi Alonso's debut: The two contrasting sides of Alonso Ball

Chelsea began their summer friendly series with a 6-4 triumph against Western Sydney Wanderers. The ten-goal thriller in Australia highlighted their promising offensive power, while simultaneously revealing numerous problems within the team's new setup.

Chelsea opened the Xabi Alonso era with an emotionally charged match in Australia. The London side's attack demonstrated its strength with six goals, with Joao Pedro making a strong impression through a classy hat-trick.

However, the 6-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers also highlighted some worrying issues. Chelsea played fluidly when building up play and created several beautiful combinations, but the defense frequently left gaps whenever possession was lost. Below are five key takeaways showing the two contrasting sides of Alonso Ball in the first match.

1. Joao Pedro's impressive return

Being unexpectedly left out of Brazil's World Cup squad by Carlo Ancelotti gave the 24-year-old striker extra time to rest and prepare for the new season. Against Western Sydney Wanderers, Joao Pedro showed he was ready to return to his best form.

Introduced with about 30 minutes remaining, the Brazilian striker needed only nine minutes to complete his hat-trick. Two of his three goals came from calm finishes and world-class strikes.

Joao Pedro also left his mark by beating three defenders on the left flank before setting up Jamie Gittens for a goal. The quality gap between him and starting striker Liam Delap was quite evident.

2. The two faces of Alonso Ball

Right from his first match, Xabi Alonso instructed Chelsea to build from the back, control the tempo, and penetrate defensive lines with short passes. When functioning smoothly, this system produced eye-catching combinations. Both of Chelsea's first-half goals came from coherent and organized ball circulation.

However, the downside quickly emerged. Chelsea repeatedly made inaccurate passes and left large gaps when losing possession. Estevao's mistake in the second half directly allowed Western Sydney Wanderers to score their fourth goal.

The pitch quality in Sydney somewhat affected Chelsea's midfielders' ball control. A rugby match held earlier had left the surface uneven, causing the ball to bounce unpredictably. Still, conceding four goals against a much weaker opponent serves as a warning for Alonso.

3. Two young talents with the same name attract attention

Chelsea started the match with two young players named Reggie in midfield.

Reggie Walsh is a technically gifted 17-year-old midfielder, who became the third youngest player in Chelsea history to debut for the first team. He was deployed as a number 10 and showed some notable combinations, including a clever one-two with Dario Essugo before the Portuguese midfielder's goal.

Reggie Watson, son of former Premier League midfielder Ben Watson, made a more distinct impression by playing the full 90 minutes. The youngest player in Chelsea's tour was entrusted with set pieces and delivered several quality through balls.

4. "Trialist" Dastan Satpayev makes his mark

Procedurally, Dastan Satpayev is not yet an official Chelsea player. The Kazakh talent's contract only becomes effective when he turns 18 in August. Former club Kairat allowed Satpayev to join the Australia tour early, so he was registered as a trialist.

Satpayev quickly excited Chelsea fans. After beating the offside trap and getting behind the Western Sydney Wanderers defense, the young striker unleashed a powerful shot that rocketed into the top corner, opening the scoring.

His speed, movement off the ball, and finishing power are standout qualities for a player who has scored 21 goals in 41 matches in the Kazakhstan league and earned nine caps for the national team.

5. Jamie Gittens begins his journey to rediscover himself

Jamie Gittens endured a disappointing first season at Stamford Bridge after his £52 million move from Borussia Dortmund. Injury problems prevented the English winger from maintaining consistent form. He scored only one goal in 27 appearances across all competitions and failed to justify the hefty transfer fee.

However, Gittens is off to a positive start in pre-season. Before Chelsea traveled to Australia, he scored two goals in two behind-closed-doors friendlies. Coming on in the 63rd minute, he constantly troubled the opposition defense with his pace and agile dribbling. He could either hug the touchline to beat defenders or cut inside before shooting.

Scoring against Western Sydney Wanderers is a positive sign, but the real test for Gittens will be maintaining similar performances when Chelsea face higher-quality opponents.