I’ve been in Alejandro Garnacho’s situation – this is what he and Chelsea must do next
Alejandro Garnacho and Chelsea have been sent a clear message on how to help the winger change his fortunes at Stamford Bridge
Alejandro Garnacho has endured a challenging start to his Chelsea career(Image: (Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images))
Wayne Bridge has called on Chelsea’s senior stars to help Alejandro Garnacho having been in a similar position himself. The Argentine has had a difficult start to his career at Stamford Bridge since sealing a £40million transfer from Manchester United last summer.
Garnacho, who is currently out injured, has shown brief signs of his quality but often struggles to make a lasting impact. In order to turn around his fortunes, the advice from Bridge was clear with the former Chelsea defender wanting someone to take him under their wing, just like Glenn Hoddle did with him.
He exclusively told football.london : “Sometimes I look at players with that much potential and wonder if they just need an old head or a father figure to work on the mental side.
“I’m not saying that is definitely what he needs, but Glenn Hoddle did so much for me when I was young. He believed in me and had me doing visualization techniques and meditation.
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“At an event once, someone asked him who the best player he’d trained was, and he said that while I didn’t believe how good I was, he got players around me to help me believe in myself.
“I don’t know if Garnacho needs a father figure to ensure he keeps his head straight and does the right things, but there is so much potential there. I think players sometimes just need guidance to ensure they keep heading in the right direction.”
Chelsea have a very young squad so it is not exactly clear who could be Garnacho’s mentor but it certainly seems a good idea to have someone help him through a challenging spell.
Adding experience in a number of areas has to be Chelsea’s transfer priority this summer with it also equally important the next head coach appointed is the right one.
Garnacho and his teammates have played under three managers this season with Enzo Maresca part of the negotiations to bring him over before he was replaced by Liam Rosenior.
Calum McFarlane is in the midst of his second interim spell in charge with Garnacho an unused substitute during his first two games temporarily at the helm back in January. He did start the FA Cup semi-final win over Leeds United last month, however.
An Enzo Fernandez header saw Chelsea triumph in that clash and set up a final against Manchester City at Wembley later this month. Having lost six successive Premier League games, the FA Cup is Chelsea’s only real chance at claiming success this season.
Qualifying for next season’s Champions League appears off the table even with sixth place potentially enough if Aston Villa finish fifth and win the Europa League. At the very least, Chelsea could be in the latter competition next season either through their domestic finish or from winning the FA Cup.
Wayne was speaking to Kieran ahead of the Emirates FA Cup final between Chelsea and Manchester City. To celebrate, Emirates and The FA joined forces, bringing international football fans together with local supporters to experience football culture in the UK, including watching all the action on the pitch.
