Chelsea supporters are full of excitement when it comes to Xabi Alonso’s appointment at Stamford Bridge but are still unsure of the style of football to expect under the Spaniard
After a dismal 2025/26 season, the appointment of Xabi Alonso as Chelsea manager was the exact medicine supporters needed.
The Blues ended the recently-concluded campaign without a trophy and outside of the European places in the Premier League table. Enzo Maresca departed in chaotic fashion and Liam Rosenior came and went without even purchasing a house – it was all a bit of a mess.
Chelsea are hoping the appointment of Alonso, who they have named as the manager rather than head coach, will provide stability and finally be the answer to BlueCo’s long-term project – that, thus far, has raised more questions than answers. Alonso will begin his role as Blues boss on July 1 and has a big summer transfer window in front of him, as he works collaboratively with the club’s sporting leadership team, to build a competitive squad for his debut season.
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In Alonso, Chelsea know they will be getting a fluid coach who has shown a multitude of different strengths in his short – in the grand scheme of things – managerial career to date. Yet there seems to be a question – an exciting one – regarding how Alonso’s Chelsea side will play once he gets his ideas across to his new players.
football.london caught up with Dr. Constantin Eckner, a Bayer Leverkusen-focused journalist, to talk about Alonso’s most successful period as a manager (so far) and what Chelsea supporters can expect in terms of the Spaniard’s style.
“The style slightly varied from season to season,” said Eckner. “In his first year, after he took over mid-season, he simply tried to stabilise the team. During the championship-winning season year, Leverkusen played pretty sophisticated possession football where they advanced the ball through Granit Xhaka and Florian Wirtz to break the opposing press.
“There were tweaks made by Alonso from time to time. At times, they used one of the centre-backs to exploit holes in the oppositions’ defence. Other times, they put an emphasis on dribbles by the wingers.
“It was, for the most part, a proactive style of football. In his final season, Alonso reverted to a stronger focus on transition attacks, especially when facing strong opponents.”
When Alonso’s appointment was confirmed last month, sources told football.london that Chelsea will be placing a focus on building the right culture behind the scenes at Cobham. The club believe Alonso will be central in doing that; many of his previous players have openly praised the former Spain international for his man-management skills.
However, Jonas Hofmann wasn’t so fond of Alonso from their time working together at Leverkusen. While Hofmann was an ever-present figure in Alonso’s setup during the title-clinching 2023/24 campaign, the German winger slipped down the pecking order the following season and he criticised his former boss for not being open and honest with him.
Something Eckner recalled when asked about Alonso’s man-management attributes: “Most players held him in the highest regards. That said, Jonas Hofmann seemed critical of Alonso after the Spaniard had left.
“Hofmann played a pivotal role in the 2023/24 season but lost his spot in the starting XI during Alonso’s final year. Hofmann alluded to the fact that Alonso didn’t clearly communicate to him why he had slipped in the internal pecking order.”
Sources close to Chelsea, however, are counting on Alonso striking a close bond with the squad he inherits this summer. The club will want him to do similar with the match-going supporters as well; something that has been lacking in recent times with head coaches and the fans.
Alonso managed to do that during his time in Germany, with Eckner explaining to football.london about why the Spaniard is a class act. “He was a great representative of the club and fans cheered him for the success the team had,” he said.
“There wasn’t anything fans could have disliked about Alonso during the his time. Even his exit was comparatively graceful. He didn’t jump ship after the tremendous season where they won the German championship but instead stayed for another year.”
