Sunderland v Chelsea FC - Premier League 2026/27
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Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso gestures
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Xabi Alonso, manager of Chelsea
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Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso watches on
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As we enter the second international break of the season, how do you think Xabi Alonso has fared in the Stamford Bridge dugout, Chelsea fans?
There were not too many positives to take away from Sunday following the Blues’ 1-0 loss to Sunderland. It was a difficult afternoon for Levi Colwill, in particular, after he was dragged around by Brian Brobbey in the first half.
How do YOU feel about our Chelsea player ratings vs Sunderland? 🤔
Can try Barco, I feel that guy is good.
The referee was very amateur, it was not a penalty at all, and the one which Palmer be tripped was a penalty.Estêvão was tripped and awarded Estêvão a foul.This is shameful.
Defense and offense must be converted quickly, as before. Two or three midfielders
Without a doubt, there is a lot that Alonso has got wrong since taking over Chelsea. However, there have been other days where there have been reasons to be optimistic about the future. With that in mind, here is how The Chelsea Chronicle thinks Alonso has done in different areas and overall this term:
Transfers: B
Alonso was appointed as Chelsea manager, not head coach, and therefore had a lot of say on the club’s transfer business over the summer. Chelsea’s interest in Morgan Rogers predated Alonso’s arrival, but the 44-year-old advocated for the attacking midfielder to be brought in.
The attacking midfielder is proving to be one of the signings of the season so far. Pep Chavarria looks like a shrewd buy, costing Chelsea around £16m. Jordan Henderson was free and is making an impact, while Danny Welbeck was doing the same in the earlier rounds of the Carabao Cup and has also brought experience to the squad like his teammate. The jury is still out on Maxence Lacroix and Marco Palestra.
Tactics: C
Alonso has shown a lot of tactical versatility early into his Chelsea reign. The Spaniard started the season with a back three and has since moved to a back four.
He has used a 3-4-2-1, 4-2-3-1 and against Sunderland we even saw a 4-3-3/4-3-2-1, with Henderson, Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia all starting in midfield. It is good that Alonso is not wedded to one system, but tactically, he has not got everything right this season.
Alonso is yet to install an attacking identity. Chelsea have no real attacking patterns of play and have struggled to control games. Alonso’s tactics against Tottenham Hotspur alone prevent him from getting anything higher than a C.
Substitutions: D
On the topic of Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, Alonso waited until the 65th minute to make his first substitution despite his side getting absolutely dominated by Spurs in midfield. When that sub eventually came on, it was a full-back for a full-back as Marco Palestra replaced Jorrel Hato.
Alonso has waited far too long to make his substitutions this season, and some of them have made very little sense.
READ MORE:What Morgan Rogers did before kick-off makes Chelsea’s defeat to Sunderland even worse
Squad management: F
Alonso fails this class pretty badly, unfortunately. The main reason is his handling of Estevao Willian.
Estevao should be getting more starting opportunities, especially with Joao Pedro out injured. Estevao made a start against Manchester United last weekend, which was his first in the Premier League this term, and really impressed.
Alonso praised Estevao after the United win, and Chelsea fans were expecting him to retain his spot for the trip to the Stadium of Light on Sunday. However, Alonso had other ideas as the Brazilian dropped back down to the bench.
Alonso had to desperately call on him at half-time with Chelsea 1-0 down, while Welbeck also entered the fray a bit later. Like Estevao, he has also been underused and should be utilised more in Pedro’s absence. The lack of rotation involving Estevao, Welbeck and Valentin Barco is a concern.
Press conferences: B
It is always interesting to see how a Chelsea manager deals with the media. It has been a big talking point recently following some comments from Liam Rosenior and the difficult time he had as Blues boss.
So far, Alonso has navigated his press conferences efficiently. The 44-year-old refuses to give away injury doubts, and after Sunday’s loss to Sunderland, he did not get drawn into any referee controversy with the press.
Instead, Alonso was very honest about Colwill and his role in the defeat. It is not something we always see from Chelsea managers. It was quite refreshing.
We have graded some of Xabi Alonso's key roles at Chelsea so far. What grade would you give him and why?
You kidding right lacroix ok but wellbeck is an old man he’s not even playing him he needs time to get his players in to play his system fofana gusto need to go we need depth as well in several positions
I think B for transfers is generous. Lacroix & Palestra haven’t been great. D for substitutions is spot on too. I’m still confident he’ll get it right though
3 windows!? We just signed Lacroix & Welbeck to fix those issues 🤦♂️
Overall grade: C
We are going to give Alonso a C grade overall. He has not done anything special in charge, while Chelsea are hardly in a crisis.
They are just two points behind Liverpool in fourth, so the race for Champions League football is firmly on. Hopefully, after the international break, he can work on a few of the things above.