Alonso must earn trust, activate Palmer, and improve discipline at Chelsea

Recently, The Athletic analyzed the key issues facing Xabi Alonso when he takes over at Chelsea this summer.

Chelsea's pre-season training officially begins on July 9th (CEST), and there is plenty of work to do for new manager Xabi Alonso and his players.

Since his appointment was announced in May, Alonso's arrival has naturally generated huge anticipation. Despite managing Real Madrid for only eight months last season, the former Spanish midfielder is still considered one of the best coaches in world football today.

Last season was one of the worst in Chelsea's modern history. The team finished 10th, failing to qualify for European competition for the third time in 31 years. Worryingly, the other two failures also came during the Boehly and Clearlake Capital era — Chelsea finished 12th in the Premier League in the 2022-23 season — further highlighting that the team is no longer what it once was.

Alonso's task is to ensure Chelsea return to the top tier of the Premier League, qualify for the 2027-28 Champions League, and, ideally, bring home a trophy. Here are some of the key issues on his to-do list.

Aside from academy products Reece James, Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah, who is expected to be sold, and Josh Achampong, Alonso's squad is largely composed of players signed over the past four years. They were persuaded to join not only by lucrative rewards but also by the expectation that Chelsea would continue to compete for major honors. However, beyond winning the Club World Cup and Europa Conference League in 2025, the team has enjoyed limited success during this period.

One of the team's biggest signings, Enzo Fernández, publicly questioned the hierarchy's decisions in March and is considering his future. Another key player, Cucurella, also spoke out publicly and has since been sold to Real Madrid. The manner in which the team's form collapsed – with the club blaming the mid-season resignation of former manager Enzo Maresca – further reinforced the impression that this team lacks confidence in what is happening at Stamford Bridge.

According to anonymous sources, team members welcomed the decision to hire Alonso from the outset. However, the former Real Madrid, Liverpool, and Bayern midfielder still needs to motivate everyone and convince them that their ambitions can be achieved at Chelsea.

Chelsea's poor record in the Premier League Fair Play table says it all. They finished bottom twice in the last three seasons (2023-24 and 2025-26) and second to last in the 2024-25 season. Including Maresca's sending-off at home against Liverpool, Chelsea received a total of 11 red cards across all competitions last season, as well as 118 cards (yellow and red) in the Premier League alone. Clearly, when players are sent off and accumulate suspensions during matches, Chelsea are put at a disadvantage. This also exposes the team's lack of discipline and maturity. Alonso must address issues that his predecessors clearly failed to resolve.

Fans are already curious whether Alonso will adopt a three-at-the-back formation, as he did when he won the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double with Leverkusen in 2024, or a conventional four-at-the-back system. However, preventing opponents from scoring is the responsibility of the entire team, and this is another area in need of significant improvement. Chelsea failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 16 Premier League games last season. They started many matches poorly, conceding 9 goals within the first 10 minutes of Premier League games, a club record. Chelsea also lost 8-2 on aggregate to PSG in the Champions League Round of 16, their joint-heaviest defeat. Injuries were partly to blame, but the lack of a stable defensive lineup inevitably led to a lack of cohesion, which opponents were happy to exploit. If teams have to work harder to break down Chelsea's defense, Alonso's team will also be harder to beat.

Palmer is not only Chelsea's best attacker when in top form but also one of the best players in world football today. His lingering groin problem significantly affected him during the 2025-26 season. He lost form and confidence, which was a major reason for his exclusion from England's World Cup squad. Arguably, his performances also declined under Maresca's stricter system. But if Alonso can get Palmer playing with the same vibrancy and freedom he showed under Pochettino in the 2023-24 season, it would be equivalent to a new signing. According to sources, Palmer is already feeling good after some training before pre-season.

Chelsea have failed to beat Arsenal and Man City, who finished in the top two of the Premier League in May, in their last 25 meetings across all competitions. They last beat Man United at Old Trafford in 2013, and it has been five years since they beat Liverpool at Anfield. This is clearly not good enough and represents a major psychological barrier that Alonso and his players must overcome.

Goal music, standing sections, singing stands – these are just three measures introduced to improve the atmosphere at Stamford Bridge. However, the most obvious solution is for the team to start winning here consistently again. Chelsea won as many league games at home as they lost last season (seven each). After beating West Ham on January 31st, they did not claim another three points at home until the penultimate round against Tottenham. Winning in an entertaining way will truly ignite enthusiasm and is bound to have a positive impact on away results. Since the Boehly consortium took over in 2022, Chelsea has lost 31 away games and won only 27. To regain the trust of fans who constantly voice their opposition to the management and even organize protests during matches, it is crucial to start at home. Do that, and everything will improve across the board.

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