Head Coach Xabi Alonso of Chelsea FC watches from the touchline
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Xabi Alonso has faced a lot of criticism from Chelsea supporters lately, largely because of his side’s performance against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.
Chelsea lost 2-0 to their London rivals that day but have quickly bounced back after beating Manchester United by the same scoreline. Alonso’s decision to continuously overlook Estevao Willian is one reason why Blues supporters have been having a go at him.
However, Alonso started Estevao against United and was impressed with his display. The Spaniard does deserve some criticism for a few things he has done as Chelsea manager, but he also warrants a bit of praise.
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Palestra is the new Marcos Alonso. He can’t play as a full-back
He was pretty good second half but he’s so lucky he got away with those 2 mistakes. Could’ve been 2-0 down at HT and it would’ve been all his fault
@freddie I missed some of the second half, but it looked like Fofana recovered after a disastrous first 45 mins?
Xabi Alonso deserves credit for how he’s utilising Josh Acheampong
His management of Josh Acheampong has been brilliant, and Chelsea are benefitting from the Spaniard’s decision to utilise the young defender. Alonso has been using Acheampong as a centre-back and right-back, and he put in another top performance against United.
According to Sofascore, Acheampong made seven defensive contributions, including three successful tackles. His passing was sharp, with the 20-year-old completing 55 out of 59 attempted passes, while he also made one clearance off the line.
Acheampong is young, but Alonso has put his trust in him and is reaping the rewards after another solid display. Would previous Chelsea managers have given Acheampong as many opportunities as Alonso has offered this season? The answer is no.
Acheampong has already made six starts in the Premier League, racking up 581 minutes, as per Transfermarkt. To put that into perspective, he is only two games away from matching the number of starts he made last season and is just 82 minutes away from equalling the number of minutes he accumulated.
Josh Acheampong’s seasons at Chelsea League appearances Starts Minutes
2026/27 8 6 581
2025/26 17 8 663
2024/25 7 2 585
2023/24 1 0 5
With it being only the end of October, Acheampong is easily going to surpass those numbers. Chelsea bought Marco Palestra for £47m in the summer and still possess Malo Gusto. Alonso could go with one of those two for the right-back position now that Palestra is fit again, yet he has been picking Acheampong.
That is what Chelsea supporters want to see, one of their young and talented academy graduates getting a real opportunity and taking it.
Acheampong is viewed as one of the best English prospects to emerge in recent years and he is starting to show it. Without Alonso, where Acheampong currently finds himself in this Chelsea team may not have been possible.