Chelsea interim boss Calum McFarlane has disclosed that incoming manager Xabi Alonso has inherited a quality squad despite the team’s poor performance in the 2025/26 season.
In a chat with the club’s website, McFarlane stated that the Spaniard has a squad capable of far more than they achieved this term.
“I think that this group has shown when they’re at their best and when we’re in the right place, we’re a match for anyone across Europe, they’ve shown that this season,” he said.
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“That hasn’t been seen enough throughout the year, that definitely hasn’t been seen enough in the second part of the season. We’ve got some real quality players, we’ve got a new manager coming in who’s got a brilliant reputation in the game.
“We’ve still had some flashes in the last month of what this group can do. It’s doing that on a more consistent basis.”
Addressing Chelsea’s Ill-Discipline
Despite the praise, McFarlane noted that addressing high levels of ill-discipline (specifically red cards) would be a top priority for Alonso.
“It’s definitely an issue, it’s definitely a problem. I think we’re by far the team that’s got the most red cards in the league,” he said.
“Pretty sure if you look at Arsenal, for example, who have won the league, I don’t think they had one red card.
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“It doesn’t help having that many red cards. It’s definitely something we need to look at and improve for next year.”
Going into the final day of the Premier League season, Chelsea sat eighth in the table, enough to reach the UEFA Conference League, but they ended one point away from European qualification, completing a wretched season that also included an FA Cup final loss to Manchester City.
