João Pedro out for ‘a few weeks’, reveals Alonso; Donnarumma gets Maresca’s backing

1. João Pedro picked up the problem during training and faces an extended layoff after missing last Saturday’s 2-0 defeat at home by Tottenham. “He has an injury on his thigh and he is going to be out for a few weeks,” Alonso said. “Let’s see how many. ”Alonso clarified that João Pedro would “probably” be out until after next month’s international break, meaning he will not be available for Brazil after missing the last camp with a knee issue. For Chelsea, the question is how to play without the former Brighton forward. There was surprise at Alonso’s decision to play without a recognised striker and overlook Danny Welbeck against Spurs. It will be an emotional evening for Alonso, who won the Champions League with Liverpool as a player in 2005. “Of course I will celebrate,” the Spaniard said. “With full respect because my warmth with Liverpool was there as a player. Alonso, who travels to Anfield without the suspended Cole Palmer, was considered by Liverpool when Jürgen Klopp stepped down in 2024. “At that time I was at Leverkusen and I was aware of the situation, but I decided to stay,” he said. “That was my decision at the time.” Liverpool sacked Slot last summer and replaced him with Andoni Iraola. Alonso, available after losing his job at Real Madrid last January, had already agreed to join Chelsea. Alonso was a passing midfielder who played for Pep Guardiola. He was asked whether he valued possession or saw the game in a different way. “You evolve, you adapt,” Alonso said. “You want to have possession. Knowing the context, knowing what we are building, I think that we have room for improvement in that part. I think we need to play more confidently with the ball.”