It is still six weeks until Xabi Alonso takes office at Chelsea, but the Spaniard will already be working out how he wants to play, and Andros Townsend reckons four Chelsea players will suit the new gaffer.
There has been plenty of discussion about how Alonso will line up next season. The German gaffer used both a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1 system at Real Sociedad’s B-team, but a back three at Bayer Leverkusen.
It’s going to be a big summer for Xabi Alonso and Chelsea!
Xabi Alonso graphic
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That 3-4-2-1 system guided Leverkusen to an unbeaten Bundesliga title and to the Europa League final in 2023-24. His move to the Bernabeu at the start of the 2025-26 season saw him change again.
Madrid played a 4-2-3-1 system under Alonso, with the Spaniard winning 24 of his 34 games in charge. Real Madrid fans are ‘hurting’ after Alonso joined Chelsea, but who suits his style of play the most?
Townsend picks Chelsea quartet that suits Alonso’s style of play
Speaking on Monday Night Club, the panel discussed how Alonso would not be wedded to a certain style, like Ruben Amorim was at Man United. He will look at the squad and pick a system that suits it.
Alonso is renowned for being adaptable, and that includes during a match. Former England winger Andros Townsend says, having watched Alonso’s Madrid side, that four Chelsea players will suit Alonso.
He reckons Reece James and Moises Caicedo can mirror the role Aurelien Tchouameni was given at Madrid, while Joao Pedro and Cole Palmer will also suit the former Liverpool midfielder at Chelsea.
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“Watching his Real Madrid sides, he likes to be interchanging, he likes to be fluid. When he’s defending, he likes to use a front two, Chelsea have the profile of a no.9, no.10, in Joao Pedro. Cole Palmer can join.
“At Real Madrid he liked to play Tchouameni as a no.6, but he would drop into the back two to make it a back three, and they have that profile of player; they have Reece James, Moises Caicedo who can do that.
“The beauty of Xabi Alonso going to Chelsea is that they have 22, 23 full international players, he has the players to suit his system,” the former Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United winger said last night.
How many times has Alonso started with a back three so far…
Alonso has clocked up 272 games as a manager at Real Sociedad’s B-team, Bayer Leverkusen and then Real Madrid. He’s clocked up 152 wins in that time, boasting a win rate north of 55% throughout.
What would you go with for the Spurs game? A back three or back four?
Chelsea Predicted XI vs Tottenham
Interestingly, it is close to a 50-50 split between starting with a back three and a back four. In a total of 148 games of his 272 games, Alonso has sent his side out with a three-man defence, around 54%.
In the other 124 matches, Alonso has used a back four. At Sociedad and Madrid, Alonso has gone with four defenders, and the majority of his 148 games using a back three came in Germany with Leverkusen.
Alonso’s decision may come down to whether he rates the attacking quality of his wing-backs and if they are good enough in the final third to provide the impact Jeremie Frimpong and Alex Grimaldo did.
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