Evening Standard: Chelsea Say Their Current Squad Is Not Far From Challenging The Best Teams, And Alonso Agrees

On May 18th, Hupu News, the English media, the one called "The Evening Standard", a reporter Dom Smith wrote a column in which he talked about Xavi Alonso joining Chelsea.

The following is the content of the column

The knock-on effects of Xavi Alonso's final move to Chelsea began long before Rossinier's disastrous spell was destined to end so quickly. Over the past few weeks, the team's form, and confidence, has been declining. Chelsea's bosses, in January, still believed that Rossinier's excellent communication skills and Strasbourg's excellent record could be successfully transplanted to Stamford Bridge. However, although they gave the young England coach time, they had already seen the development direction of the situation.

After one defeat after another, they got together to discuss and begin to formulate a plan. After a 0-3 away defeat at Brighton and a poor performance, Rossinier was fired, and then the search for his successor officially began. Before that happens, however, discussions have already begun about what type of manager is needed next.

This frustrating season has led Chelsea to decide that this summer, to a certain extent, they will deviate from their previous transfer strategy of focusing on young players. They will introduce a group of players with leadership skills and rich experience. After Rossinier, they also accepted the reality that the coaching bench will also need to change the type of personnel.

As the first "Manager" during the BlueCo era, Alonso is also the biggest name signed by the club since Thomas Tuchel (the last coach appointed under Roman Abramovich), including players and coaching staff.

In the club statement confirming the dismissal of Rossinier, there is such an intriguing statement: "As the club strives to bring stability to the head coaching position, we will embark on a process of self-reflection in order to make an appropriate long-term appointment." As for the solution to the "head coaching position", it is to no longer retain this title. Xabi Alonso will become "Manager". This title was not something he requested, but was proposed by Chelsea on his own initiative – the intention was to give him more powers to try a new model. Club insiders claim this is the next step in Chelsea's evolution.

The model of the dynasty created by Arteta at Arsenal is extremely attractive. As the first "Manager" in the BlueCo era, Alonso is also the club's biggest signing since Thomas Tuchel (the last coach appointed by Roman Abramovich's empire). Whether it is a player or a member of the coaching staff, being able to sign Alonso is a great success, and reaching a four-year contract is even more so.

In the process of searching for Rossinier's successor, Chelsea started communicating with as many as six candidates, including Andoni Iraura, who has Premier League coaching experience, as well as Oliver Glasner, and Marco Silva. In addition, former Chelsea defender Felipe Luis, who recently performed well at Flamengo, is also on the candidate list.

However, throughout this entire process, Alonso has been the leader from beginning to end. Part of the reason is due to the status he has in the football field, which contains his brilliant playing career when he was at Liverpool, as well as the glorious years at Real Madrid, and the story of fighting in the Bayern Munich jersey. In addition, there are also wonderful achievements when representing the Spanish national team, and during his coaching of Bayer Leverkusen, in 2023 – It is such an amazing achievement to lead the team to win the double championship in the 2024 season.

The initial negotiations went very smoothly, and then Chelsea's top brass met with Alonso in London last week. He sought some reassurances, but this was more about logistics and the views of the five sporting directors who were involved in his appointment than the Spaniard's desire for power. Both parties eventually concluded that their visions were aligned.

Alonso will have a greater say in signings than any head coach before the advent of the BlueCo era. This will be a collaborative approach and will be in line with the data-driven process that Chelsea has no intention of abolishing. He left a deep impression on the opponent when he emphasized the importance of player mentality. The current batch of Chelsea players have been criticized in this regard, so when Alonso talked about the need to create a harmonious and winning environment, the club's recruitment team was naturally impressed.

They hope he can build a great culture, not just a winning team. Chelsea are confident that he will naturally earn their respect by holding his players to high standards every day.

The 44-year-old knows he has a lot of leverage as a manager, and not just because he has always been the favorite. Chelsea feel they have learned from the mistakes of key decisions over the past few years and feel that their current squad is not far removed from truly challenging the continent's best teams. Alonso also agrees with this view.

Alonso was hurt by Real Madrid's dismissal so quickly. He had a coaching record of 24 wins in 34 games and was kicked out of the locker room after seven months. BlueCo seized a rare opportunity to strike while the iron was hot and lock in one of the most highly regarded coaches in football. Although Alonso was more in contact with one of the main rivals, Liverpool, and might be underestimated by Real Madrid, Chelsea still acted decisively.

It is Alonso's tactical philosophy that appeals to the Chelsea boss, who often uses a 3-4-2-1 formation, as in his eye-catching Bayer Leverkusen team, but he is wrong to believe that he sticks to this formation. One of his words in 2014 is enlightening.

It is said that Alonso said that currently, according to my personal views on football, every successful team must adapt to at least three formations, and they have to change them according to the actual situation. This has nothing to do with not sticking to their own style, it is not the case. Granit Xhaka, who played under Alonso at Bayer Leverkusen, also agreed with his former manager's remarks.

The trust Alonso upholds is not focused on a specific formation, but on the key principle. This principle is to effectively control the ball and, after losing the ball, be able to immediately rely on high-intensity counterattacks to regain the ball again.

On Saturday, after Chelsea lost the FA Cup final to Manchester City, it became clear within an hour or two that an agreement had been reached and that Alonso was the man they were looking for. Former Chelsea midfielder Joe Cole says news of Xabi Alonso following the FA Cup final loss sounded like a PR move. Whether or not that's true, the appointment certainly lessened the disappointment of the defeat.

What is being finalized is Alonso's behind-the-scenes team. He will officially start work on July 1. His first game will be held during the team's pre-season tour to Hong Kong and Australia, but the plan is to hold an official debut ceremony in London before the team departs.

After Chelsea lost the FA Cup final for the fourth time in a row, Reece James lamented in the underground tunnel of Wembley Stadium, saying that the key may be stability. As for changing managers frequently during the season, it is extremely difficult. Stability may be one of the key factors we need most as a group. Chelsea's decision-makers recognized this view, which is why they handed over the coaching position and power to Alonso.