Xabi Alonso has been announced as the new Chelsea manager, with talk of what the first team squad will look like upon his arrival already rife.
The Blues will finish the 2025/26 campaign with Calum McFarlane in interim charge, and have been performing better in recent games than their final matches with Liam Rosenior in charge.
Chelsea have featured in a back three in their past two games, including the FA Cup final where they put up an ‘excellent’ showing against Man City.
Xabi Alonso’s first words as Chelsea manager!
What are you expecting from Alonso’s first season in charge?
Xabi Alonso not expected to stick to just a back three system at Chelsea
The Blues have found far more success in this system, conveniently one Alonso used to great effect when in charge of Bayer Leverkusen.
He refrained from using it during his limited time in charge of Real Madrid, and journalist Kaveh Solhekol believes he won’t be stuck to that formation when he is at Stamford Bridge.
Xabi Alonso head coach of Real Madrid looks on
Photo by Diego Souto/Getty Images
He said: “Alonso will not be wedded to playing three at the back at Chelsea. He used that formation at Bayer Leverkusen because it suited the players he had in his squad. He is more than happy to play with a back four. Chelsea will play different formations under him.”
Reece James could suit that system perfectly, featuring in the role Alejandro Grimaldo played rather than the flying wing-back duties of Jeremie Frimpong at Leverkusen.
DISCUSS: Xabi Alonso can finally make the BlueCo era a success 👀
Chelsea squad react to Xabi Alonso
The Blues players are said to be excited about Alonso coming into the club, although will be desperate for some consistency after frequent managerial changes.
The incoming boss wants to build around Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella, despite reports stating that they could both be on the move to Spain this summer.
There may be fears amongst the centre-backs at the club after claims that Alonso wants to sign two new defenders in his first transfer window with the club.
Levi Colwill will have nothing to worry about though. His first two starts of the season have been a timely reminder of his brilliance.
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