Alonso wants his Chelsea team to all head in the same direction during his first season in charge.
Previewing Chelsea's opening Premier League fixture against Fulham.
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Xabi Alonso has set his Chelsea squad a task ahead of their Premier League opener against Fulham on Monday night.
Chelsea head to Craven Cottage for a west London derby, looking to kick their season off with a victory.
It will be a new-look Chelsea side this season after their summer haul of signings, including club-record arrival Morgan Rogers, along with Maxence Lacroix, Marco Palestra, Pep Chavarria, Valentin Barco, Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson.
Alonso has been instilling his ideas and approach during pre-season, and Chelsea has played both three-back and four-back systems.
But the new Chelsea manager, who has not revealed their specific targets for the season publicly, has challenged his Blues side to ensure they are prepared to adapt and be flexible whenever required in 2026-27.
Alonso backs Chelsea and Rogers to deliver flexibility
Previewing their opener with Fulham, Alonso continued to affirm his adaptable approach as a manager. He called on Rogers, who signed for £117 million from Aston Villa, and his teammates to deliver on his message.
He told Sky Sports: "When we need to have good control, I think Morgan can do it. Our game is whatever it takes. So when we have to do transition, we will do transition. All the rest of the players, they need to understand what it takes because this is to be competitive.
"You have a plan, you have an idea, you have a style, but sometimes the game demands something different. Are you able to adapt to that and to be competitive in that momentum as well? If we are able to understand that and to do that, we will win more games.
"We tend to, more than in one specific picture, to have principles when we are moving around the pitch. And those can be in one formation or a different formation. We have players who have enough flexibility to play in different ones. So that gives us possibilities to prepare with our own identity."
What does success look like for Chelsea and Alonso in 2026-27?
Getting off to a good start is always beneficial for all involved to lift the confidence and ensure the mood around the club - fans, players, staff and hierarchy - is one of positivity.
It's a season for Chelsea with no European Football. They will only play Premier League football, along with the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
Chelsea's first goal, at an absolute minimum, is to qualify for the Champions League. That is non-negotiable given the summer transfer spend and the calibre of players they have recruited. Any further challenge for the top position in the league should be seen as an achievable objective for the Blues.
They have been known to go deep in cup competitions, seen as recently as May after their unfortunate FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City. Irrespective of their league form, Chelsea have always shown they can win knockout matches.
Success can also come in other ways. Can they keep their squad fit for the majority of the season? Levi Colwill and Romeo Lavia will be hoping for full campaigns after their disappointing setbacks in 2025-26.
But if Chelsea can convincingly finish in the Champions League places and bring home a cup, Alonso can call his first year at Stamford Bridge a resounding success.