Chelsea v Real Sociedad - Pre-Season Friendly
LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 15: Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso speaks to Reece James during the pre-season friendly match between Chelsea and Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge on August 15, 2026 in London, United Kingdom. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
We’re at the start of a brand new era under manager Xabi Alonso, and one of the major tactical questions that we need get answered is how the new man in charge will line up. Most may be expecting a back-three, but most certainly would prefer a back-three.
For the WAGNH Community, that preference is by a 3-to-1 margin, with nearly three-quarters of the voters wanting a back-three setup rather than any sort of back-four.
Despite that clear preference, we don’t have a clear front-runners for the crucial wing-back positions. The center backs are set — Levi Colwill, Maxence Lacroix, and Reece James all above 90% — but after Marco Palestra slots in at 81%, the other options are all far behind. Pep Chavarría (29%) just edges out Jorrel Hato (26%), with Malo Gusto (11%) and Josh Acheampong (16%) further off the pace.
The midfield pivot of Moisés Caicedo and Enzo Fernández remains, for now, while up front, it’s Pedro Neto joining the trio of consensus choices in Cole Palmer, Morgan Rogers, and João Pedro.
3-4-2-1 / 3-4-3 (73%)
Sánchez (86%) | Colwill (98%), Lacroix (95%), James (91%) | Chavarría (29%), Enzo (72%), Caicedo (98%), Palestra (81%) | Rogers (93%), Palmer (97%) | João Pedro (98%)
Others receiving more than a handful of votes include Estêvão (24%), Roméo Lavia (17%), Geovany Quenda (4%), Nicolas Jackson (3%), and Valentín Barco (3%)