XABI ALONSO explains his blueprint to turn Chelsea around: A ‘locked in’ training regime, no more ‘bomb squads’ to unite his squad – and his verdict on Cole Palmer and Estevao

Sitting in the Stamford Bridge directors’ lounge, just Xabi Alonso and a few of the Chelsea-dedicated correspondents, the talk turned to setting standards after such a substandard season.

‘I can’t assess the things from the past because I was not here so it would be unfair,’ Alonso told us. ‘But what we want is a team with the right mentality, the right hunger, the right standards and on a daily basis to build on them. That’s important.

‘I’m not a general, but I’m a good professional, and I know what it takes to be a good professional. Those are the standards we want for the whole building.’

Alonso may not have been in charge of Chelsea last season, but he knows the stories.

The accusations of player power leading to the sacking of his predecessor, Liam Rosenior. The criticism of their dire discipline record with nearly enough red cards to create an XI. The fallouts from players speaking publicly as Enzo Fernandez became the vice-captain banned for two games by his own club after some less than subtle flirting with Real Madrid.

That may have been why Alonso was interested in adding Granit Xhaka, the Sunderland captain and a 33-year-old leader with whom he worked closely at Bayer Leverkusen, to this Chelsea squad. ‘Regarding players that are not in the building and rumours, I know you love them, but it’s not right for me to comment,’ Alonso said, smiling as we asked him about Xhaka. Sunderland have insisted their skipper is not for sale, for any price, and so other candidates are now being assessed.

Xabi Alonso is gearing up for his first season at Stamford Bridge after taking over at Chelsea

The Spaniard has vowed not to judge Chelsea’s stars on last season, which ended dismally

Chelsea remain a work in progress in this window with Alonso hoping to add ‘a few signings and reinforce the squad’ before this summer is up. So, did this 44-year-old Spaniard need persuading when his new club called to discuss him potentially taking over as manager?

‘For sure we needed to have proper talks,’ Alonso said. ‘We needed to have the right analysis and to start working on what are the decisions to take. We are aligned on those decisions – mainly on the football side, mainly on the squad, mainly on how we want to achieve this competitive team and to have the feeling that this team can be consistent enough to compete every weekend.’

Chelsea do not give every new manager the Drake Suite treatment – the room reserved at Stamford Bridge for special press conferences and where only this club’s league-winning managers have their pictures hanging on its walls. Rosenior never had it. Nor Enzo Maresca before him.

But then Alonso is quite the coup, and he handled his public presentation with aplomb. He sportingly entertained the easier questions, like whether he thinks Spain can win the World Cup and what he thinks of living in London. He kept his answers short when the subject was controversial, such as how he’s spoken with Fernandez and would like him to stay this summer. All while hammering home the message that he and Chelsea’s sporting directors are aligned in what they need to do to be successful.

It was after this unveiling that Alonso retired to the Stamford Bridge directors’ lounge for our separate discussion, which began with him mentioning the pictures of Jose Mourinho and Co.

‘We want that, for sure, in the future,’ Alonso said of Chelsea, Premier League titles and his picture going up on that wall. ‘Time will tell if we deserve them, but this is the goal of the club. This has to be the ambition of everyone. We need to take the right steps. We need to build the right squad, to have the right mentality.’

How many steps? ‘A few,’ he continued. ‘We need to prioritise what we want to do. I need to get to know the players. I know them, but I need to know them closer, to have more insight, opinion and an idea of how they are, of what we can get from them. From there, we will start. How long? I can’t say. I don’t think that we are that far from creating a good team, to competing in any game and to win a lot of games. Honestly, I think that.

Alonso says he will not get fixated on one formation or system, keen to rotate accordingly

He is optimistic that Chelsea can get back to their best without making wholesale changes

‘Last year, some things happened. I positively think we can do much better. Change a few things, updating and reinforcing in some positions. If we get the right balance and decisions, we can have a good season. I’m optimistic and really believe it. I don’t think that we need to change everything.’

Alonso started working with Chelsea’s players, such as Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian, when they returned for pre-season on Thursday. On Palmer, Alonso said: ‘He wants to be fit. He wants to forget the setbacks to injuries he had to cope with last year. He’s special and if he’s enjoying it, in a good mood, a good spirit, he can be a key player for us. It’s so far, so good.’

On Estevao, he added: ‘We are planning for him. We want to be careful but not super extra careful so that we see how he progresses. So far, he’s feeling better, and he’s a very talented player.’

Alonso will need to wait a little longer to meet Reece James, who we believe is set to remain Chelsea’s captain, and Fernandez. On what happens next with the 25-year-old Argentinian, who has been slapped with a £120million valuation by his club, Alonso said: ‘The ones who have reached the semis (of the World Cup), they will come and we will train as normal.’

Chelsea have gained a reputation for players training separately to the first team if their futures are uncertain, also known as the ‘bomb squad’. As reported by Daily Mail Sport, Alejandro Garnacho has not reported to Cobham for pre-season as both the player and his club have agreed it would be best if he moves on after a single season. Chelsea value Garnacho at £42.6m and are confident a deal can be done for their winger in the next two weeks.

Asked whether all those who have reported to Cobham are training as one or if some are working separately, Alonso said: ‘They all train together. We want to assess the whole squad. There are still things to be decided and situations that can hopefully be solved. Everything takes time.’

Alonso declined to commit when we asked him about using a back three or a back four at Chelsea. At Leverkusen, his 3-4-2-1 system earned them their first-ever Bundesliga title as they went unbeaten throughout the entirety of the 2023-24 season.

Alonso does not believe in a ‘bomb squad’, which Alejandro Garnacho was previously placed in

But Alonso craves flexibility, hence his £47m signing of Marco Palestra from Atalanta. ‘You need versatile players who are used to doing different things, and after you need specialists as well,’ he said. ‘So if we have good balance in the squad, we will be able to adapt better. That’s my view. It’s not that we are always going to play 4-4-2. That’s not in my thinking.’

As first impressions go, it is easy to see why Alonso will earn immediate respect from Chelsea’s players. He’s been there, done it, won more than they ever have. His club hope he can use that aura to improve the slipping standards which harmed their last season.

With no European football to trouble Chelsea’s midweeks, Alonso will at least have time to work at Cobham, and it is there where he will look to instill a proper mentality among his players.

‘Once we are training, we are locked in, because that will raise our standards on a daily basis,’ he ended with. ‘I fully believe that the better we prepare, the better we will perform on the weekends.’