The 2025-26 season began like a dream come true for Chelsea, as they won the first 32-team FIFA Club World Cup in strong fashion with a resounding 3-0 first-half victory over Paris Saint-Germain. But since that high water mark, both clubs have gone in diametrically opposite directions. While PSG are preparing to reach the Champions League final once again, Chelsea have just suffered a heartbreaking seventh straight domestic cup defeat, losing 1-0 to Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
Currently, they are languishing in 10th place in the Premier League with only two games remaining, and the possibility of qualifying for Europe is completely out of reach. Enzo Maresca, Liam Rosenior and interim manager Callum McFarlane had stints, capping off a chaotic and frustratingly trophy-less domestic season defined by a revolving door of dugouts.
Stamford Bridge are eyeing Xabi Alonso as they hope to end this slump for good and establish a culture of stability. The 44-year-old former Liverpool icon and recent Real Madrid manager arrived in London last week to formally sign a four-year contract that will see him take full control of the sport from July 1, after abruptly leaving Spain in January.
Xabi Alonso’s record: Can the former Real Madrid manager end Chelsea’s domestic trophy drought?
Alonso’s high-profile appointment marks a blockbuster return to the Premier League, where he previously spent five glorious years in Liverpool’s midfield, famously lifting the Champions League trophy in 2005. “Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in world football and I am extremely proud to be the manager of this great club,” Alonso said in his first official speech.
The Spaniard’s managerial stock soared after leading Bayer Leverkusen to an historic unbeaten domestic double and clinching their first Bundesliga title in the 2023-24 season. At the end of the 2024-25 season, Alonso moved to Real Madrid, winning 10 of his opening 11 games, and was prematurely sacked in January due to locker room turmoil, but the subsequent collapse of Madrid’s season proved that Alonso was far from the root of the problem.
He now faces the huge task of returning Chelsea to domestic status. Although the Blues won the UEFA Conference League last year, they have not touched a domestic trophy since the Antonio Conte era, which concluded with the 2016-17 league title and the 2018 FA Cup.
The nine grueling seasons are the club’s second-longest run to a Premier League title since winning it for the first time in 2005.
Chelsea’s tactical blueprint: How Alonso’s 3-4-2-1 system changes Cole Palmer and Reece James
Backed by Chelsea’s notorious financial power and mandate to completely clear the roster, Alonso will be given full autonomy and expected to actively shape the team in his image. Known for his lively, possession-oriented football, Alonso is set to implement his signature 3-4-2-1 formation, a tactical system that perfectly matches the raw profile of Chelsea’s current roster.
“This football club has great talent and great potential, and it is a great honor to lead the team,” Alonso said. “The focus now is on hard work, building the right culture and winning trophies.”
A central pillar of the negotiations revolved around maximizing Cole Palmer’s potential. Under Alonso’s new framework, Palmer will be returned to a central role in attacking midfield, with full positional freedom to move between the lines and dictate the tempo.
The blueprint reflects Alonso’s impressive development of Florian Wirtz at Leverkusen, who developed into a world-class playmaker under Alonso’s guidance before his £116m move to Liverpool last summer.
At the other end of the pitch, club captain Reece James will find a bespoke home in the right wing-back slot. If James can finally overcome his recurrent fitness issues, the role would provide the perfect platform for him to replicate the explosive, career-best form he previously displayed under Thomas Tuchel’s back three system.
