Three ways Chelsea could line up under Xabi Alonso as Cole Palmer set for new role
Chelsea could set up in a number of ways under Xabi Alonso, who’s trialled and tested lots of different formations in the past.
Xabi Alonso has been without a job for nearly six months(Image: Photo by Pau Barrena/Getty Images)
Xabi Alonso could transform Chelsea into one of the most flexible teams in the Premier League next season. The 44-year-old has recently been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge as the Blues look to appoint a permanent successor to Liam Rosenior.
football.london understands that Alonso is one of several candidates to take the reins in west London. Chelsea want to have a new boss in the dugout before the end of next month, leaving plenty of room for activity in the transfer window.
It’s understood that the Blues want to sign a centre-back, a central midfielder, and a left-sided winger this summer. But, at the moment, the five-man sporting leadership team are focused on the process of appointing a new head coach.
Alonso has emerged as an early favourite among sections of the fanbase. In April 2018, a year or so after hanging up his boots, the Spaniard began studying for UEFA’s coaching licenses, taking six weeks of classes at the headquarters of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF).
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Later that year, Alonso took his first job, becoming the head coach of the Real Madrid Under-14s. Then, in June 2019, the former Liverpool midfielder returned to the Basque Country to take charge of Real Sociedad’s reserve team.
It was here, back in San Sebastián, where he made a name for himself as a player, that he made a name for himself as a manager, too. Alonso eventually got his break at Bayer Leverkusen before taking on the impossible task of coaching Real Madrid.
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After nearly six months without a job, the Spaniard appears ready to get back on the horse. So, with that being said, football.london has looked at three ways in which Chelsea could line up under Alonso.
Alonso goes back to basics
When Alonso first took the reins at Real Sociedad B, he deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation. While in possession, he often pushed one of the double pivots forward to become a situational number 10, giving his side two central attacking midfielders, a pair of wide wingers, and a focal point.
In Alonso’s debut campaign, he led Real Sociedad B to fifth place in Segunda B, which is the regionalised third tier of Spanish football. A year later, they were promoted as champions, reaching the second division for the first time in 60 years, and for only the second time in the club’s history.
Álex Petxarroman, a right-back, who now plays for Andorra in the Spanish second division, was part of the squad when Alonso took over. In an interview with ESPN, the former Real Sociedad B captain explained exactly how the legendary midfielder wanted the team to play.
“His teams want the ball, but they also want to be direct,” said Petxarroman. “The first press, when you lose possession, has to be intense. That’s what he conveyed to us the most.
“He has a lot of ideas in his head — for how he wants his team to play, with a lot of tactical variations — but the most important principles are those.”
Real Sociedad B were relegated from the second tier of Spanish football the following season, where Alonso had begun to experiment with a back-three. After three years in San Sebastián, Alonso was given his break in the top-flight.
Alonso deploys unbeaten gameplan
At Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso embraced the back-three, taking the Bundesliga by storm. The Spaniard deployed a 3-4-2-1, using a double pivot and two narrow attacking midfielders to create a box, while giving the wing-backs the license to hold the width and bomb forward.
In his debut season, the German outfit finished fifth, qualifying for the Europa League. Then, the following year, Alonso led Leverkusen to an unbeaten championship-winning campaign, which remains his greatest achievement as a head coach.
If the Spaniard were to take the reins at Stamford Bridge, Estevao Willian could be utilised more so as a number 10 alongside Cole Palmer. Not many of the Blues’ other wide-men could play in the half-spaces, so they would need to have a bit of a clearout.
Alonsotakes another stab at
Despite having enjoyed so much success with a back-three in Germany, which essentially earned him the job at the Santiago Bernabeu, Alonso tweaked his philosophy to accommodate as many of Real Madrid’s household names.
In the Spanish capital, he predominantly deployed a back-four that shifted between a 4-3-3 and a 4-4-2. If Alonso were to take another stab at that style of play at Chelsea, Cole Palmer would likely be given the supporting striker role, like Vinicius Junior, leaving the left-winger to cover the hard yards and form the 4-4-2 out of possession.
However, in west London, it’s unlikely that the players would be afforded the same luxuries. Shortly before Alonso parted ways with Los Blancos, Aurélien Tchouaméni pointed the finger at his teammates, defending the ‘good game plan’ and insisting that a lack of intensity ‘isn’t the fault of the coach’.
During what was a difficult end to the year for Alonso, he commented on the culture at Real Madrid. He said: “It’s not about changing, it’s about adapting.
“I know the culture at Real Madrid, that’s why it’s the biggest job in the world, you need to adapt, you need to learn. There’s a process, an interaction with the players. Some days are good, some days are not so good…”
