Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
Xabi Alonso is already one step ahead at Chelsea after Enzo Maresca identified what he’s started to see happening in football nowadays.
Enzo Maresca spent 18 months at Chelsea after taking over in June 2024, successfully guiding the Blues to a fourth-place finish. He famously delivered two pieces of silverware by winning the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup before leaving in January 2026.
Stepping into Chelsea after Liam Rosenior’s turbulent departure is a massive challenge for Xabi Alonso. Following such instability is never easy, but the new boss has made an encouraging start.
His calm authority and clear tactical identity have injected fresh optimism into the squad during pre-season.
Chelsea's pre-season results
Photo by Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Enzo Maresca cites Chelsea’s loss to PSG as a defining moment
Tactics were on the mind of Enzo Maresca during Manchester City’s pre-season tour in South Korea, which led on to the topic of man-to-man marking.
And the Blues’ heavy defeat against PSG stood out to Maresca as a game where man-to-man marking didn’t work for his former club.
“I’m not sure it’s going to continue like that. For instance, if you see last season when Newcastle played Barcelona and it was 6-1. Atalanta and Bayern Munich was 6-1. Chelsea tried to go man-to-man with PSG when I left and they destroyed them.
“Usually the team that was defending found the solution by going man-to-man. Now the teams that try to build up are trying to find solutions against man-to-man. I don’t know when but there is going to be a bit of change.”
Xabi Alonso is one step ahead tactically
Xabi Alonso’s arrival at Chelsea marks a distinct tactical shift aimed at solving the exact problem Enzo Maresca highlighted of how modern teams build up against aggressive, man-to-man pressing.
Where rigid setups previously struggled against intense man-marking, Alonso brings the fluid, control-oriented style that defined his title-winning success at Bayer Leverkusen.
Rather than sticking to predictable patterns, his Chelsea system focuses on positional flexibility, clean rotations, and patient press-resistance. By using versatile movement to bypass man-oriented schemes, Alonso is making Chelsea unpredictable.