Not Too Xabi - Will Xabi Alonso Be a Success at Chelsea?

Not Too Xabi - Will Xabi Alonso Be a Success at Chelsea?

There has been a lot going on around the West London giants recently including the FA Cup final on Saturday. Unfortunately, that didn’t end the way that they might have hoped losing 1-0 to Manchester City. However, 2 hours after that loss, they announced something that completely flipped the mood. That was the signing of new manager Xabi Alonso.

🚨 OFFICIAL: Xabi Alonso, unveiled and confirmed as new a Chelsea manager. 🔵👋🏼 pic.twitter.com/hQwFYvoO03

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 17, 2026

Alonso is a manager that has had a lot of buzz around him in the last few years after joining Leverkusen. After dragging them out of the relegation zone, he did the unthinkable in his first full season. That was winning the league and going unbeaten throughout the league campaign. In fact, he was just 1 games away from an invincible treble. He would then join Real Madrid and while not there for long, he had success.

Now he has his new job, and this is a different job. This is a young team who has a lot of talent and can be a team that fights for the top awards, however, has struggled. He also has the looming issue of a bored and sporting directors who have seemed difficult to work with in the past.

So, Will Xabi Alonso Be a Success?

Alonso goes into this job with a very impressive CV. While he hasn’t been coaching for an extensive period, the accolades he has achieved can’t be undermined. He has a clear system that he likes using and one that works. The big question is can he translate it to this Chelsea side.

A look at Xabi’s career to date. 📊 pic.twitter.com/40wch0YnX5

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) May 17, 2026

Alonso enjoys using a 3-4-2-1 system. It focuses on using the wide players to help in an overload all over the pitch. At Leverkusen the 2 players that ultimately were key in their success were Alejandro Grimaldo and Jeremie Frimpong. They were used as wingbacks, however, would often play as wingers. Do Chelsea have these players? Well, they do, often under previous manager Enzo Maresca Marc Cucurella would be the furthest player forward. Joining him, if possible, for him to play this position consistently would be Reece James. Everyone now knows his quality when going forward. These 2 would more than likely be the wingbacks.

Chelsea isn’t just limited to these two. Other players can play in this position such as Pedro Neto, who has been used in this type of position alongside Malo Gusto. However, the main man who would likely thrive in this position would be youngster Geovany Quenda. While currently seeing success as Sporting CP, his best period was under Ruban Amorim while being used as a wingback. Will we see him there again this time under Xabi Alonso?

Another similarity we can draw between this young Chelsea side and Alonso’s Leverkusen are a certain creative forward. In Germany Alonso had a talented German forward by the name Florian Wirtz, in England he will have Cole Palmer. Both have shown vast amounts of talent, and with Palmer now in a slump, can Alonso be the man to bring the best out of Palmer again in a similar way he did with Wirtz?

Overall Verdict

While Alonso is obviously new to Chelsea, his formation isn’t and in fact, it’s something that has been the road to success with names such as Antonie Conte and Thomas Tuchel using them. Chelsea and a back 3 have always been a good recipe and with this current group, we could finally see a system that works for them.

Alonso is also looking to be a manager and not just a head coach, he might have more freedom in the transfer market before the season starts. This is a vital part to the news and something that can’t be overlooked. It was very different to previous managers such as Maresca, who was called a head coach, it suggests that he will have more control, this could be the key point for his and Chelsea’s future. If Chelsea finally commit to a structure and give Alonso control, Stamford Bridge could once again become home to one of Europe’s elite sides.