Mike Penders has a first start in the Premier League coming up tomorrow, and his manager has full faith in him.

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One of the big storylines in tomorrow’s Chelsea – Tottenham game will be Mike Penders.

The 21 year old will be making his first Premier League start, filling in for the injured Emi Martinez.  Speaking in his press conference this afternoon, manager Xabi Alonso made it very clear he was confident that the young keeper was ready for a huge moment in his career, in the most pressured possible environment.

Alonso reveals Courtois comparisons

“He’s ready. He’s been training well. He has shown he has a good level. When he came on, in a few minutes he showed his personality and qualities. That is why we have a squad to be ready for these situations,” Alonso said of his young stopper.

There certainly was a lot of confidence to be gained from that final 20 minutes against Everton. It was nice to see him make a few saves and get a few touches.

Alonso was also asked about the comparisons that have been made to Thibaut Courtois, another giant left footed Belgian goalkeeper.

We’ve been told that Chelsea have tried to shielf young Penders from such a comparison, but Alonso leant into it, noting that Courtois himself had said he saw a lot of himself in the youngster.

No pressure, Mike…

In other news…

Alonso ruled out defender Pep Chavarria with an injury – but did confirm another option would be back on the bench.

The change in strategy from Chelsea’s owners has been praised by Gus Poyet.

Joao Pedro has been speaking about his relationship with Cole Palmer and how quickly it developed after his arrival.