Xabi Alonso has evidently ticked a lot of boxes for Chelsea after being appointed as their new manager.
On Sunday morning, Chelsea confirmed the arrival of Alonso, who does not officially take charge until 1 July.
It means Calum McFarlane will oversee the Blues’ final two games against Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland.
Xabi Alonso’s first words as Chelsea manager!
What are you expecting from Alonso’s first season in charge?
Chelsea confident Xabi Alonso will bring discipline to squad
One reason why Alonso will be taking the reins from McFarlane is because of his ability to potentially instil some discipline into this Chelsea squad.
The behaviour of Chelsea players on the pitch this season has been a huge talking point.
However, according to football.london, Chelsea are confident that Alonso will bring discipline to this very young squad.
It has been a while since the Blues picked up their last red card, but discipline was an issue that Liam Rosenior and Enzo Maresca had to contend with.
referee Darren England shows the red card to Pedro Neto of Chelsea
Photo by Charlotte Wilson/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Next term, hopefully, it is not something that Alonso will have to worry about. During the summer, though, he may have to deal with players angling for moves.
It has already been claimed that Marc Cucurella is bound for Spain amid interest from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.
Chelsea’s disciplinary record as 2025/26 campaign reaches its conclusion
Chelsea have one of the worst disciplinary records in the Premier League this season. According to WhoScored, they have received 83 cautions after 36 games.
Only Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion have picked up more yellow cards.
When it comes to red cards, however, Chelsea have no competition. They top that chart with seven. Across all competitions, they have had 10 if you include Maresca’s sending off against Liverpool back in October.
Clearly, it is something that Alonso has to fix. The Spaniard will not accomplish anything at Stamford Bridge if he is finishing games with 10 men every week.
Chelsea are backing him to do just that, it seems, but only time will tell.
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