Former Chelsea star Gus Poyet believes incoming Blues boss Xabi Alonso will benefit from the club not having any European football this season.
After a subpar season filled with multiple managerial changes, Chelsea managed to finish 10th in the Premier League table. After replacing Enzo Maresca with Liam Rosenior, the Blues made a second managerial change and appointed Calum McFarlane as the interim coach until the end of the season.
The club then hired ex-Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso as their new manager for the upcoming season. He is set to join the Blues from July 1st and has signed a 4-year deal with the club.
Speaking in an interview with The Action Network, Poyet admitted he was delighted by his former club's decision to hire Alonso. He said (via GOAL):
"I'm delighted with the agreement. I'm really, really happy that Xabi is coming there. As a player, he understood the game in an incredible manner. Sometimes you kind of know which players can be coaches."
The Uruguayan then explained why the incoming Spanish boss would benefit from Chelsea not having any European football next season. He said:
"I'm going to say something really terrible. And I'm not afraid of saying it. For the manager, it's better.
"For Xabi Alonso, it's better. Because he gets more time to work during the week. When you start playing every week, you don't have time to embed your system properly.
"Exactly what he did at Leverkusen. The team needs time. And the time that not playing European football gives you between weekends is invaluable."
The Blues will hope Alonso will have an impact similar to what he did at Bayer Leverkusen, where he won the Bundesliga title without losing a single match, the first time that has ever happened in the German first division's history.
Gus Poyet reacts to Chelsea's decision to hire Xabi Alonso instead of Jose Mourinho
The Blues were linked with a move to hire Jose Mourinho before appointing Xabi Alonso. Mourinho won 3 Premier League titles, 3 League Cups, 1 FA Cup, and 1 Community Shield title during his stint with the club. Poyet responded when asked if Chelsea were right to hire Alonso ahead of Mourinho, he said:
"I love Jose and I thought he was a Chelsea legend forever. But it's more about the players, not about him.
"I think with Xabi Alonso, it's an opportunity to build something different with the characteristics of the players."