Xabi Alonso has Chelsea attack firing

Chelsea appointed former Real Madrid coach Xabi Alonso as their men’s team’s manager ahead of the 2026/27 season. Amid massive speculation linking him to his former club Liverpool, Alonso instead took up the Chelsea job, and he has made an instant impact.

Although it’s early days, and Chelsea have only played three games under Alonso, there are definite signs of improvement compared to last season.  

Chelsea made several reinforcements in their squad this summer, cutting out the deadweight and strengthening in key positions. They bought defenders Maxence Lacroix (Crystal Palace), Marco Palestra (Atalanta), and Pep Chavarría (Rayo Vallecano) to shore up the defence, while also signing experienced stalwarts in Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Danny Welbeck (Brighton & Hove Albion), and Emi Martínez (Aston Villa) to bring leadership to an otherwise young squad. They’ve also strengthened their attack with Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa) and also brought in midfielder Valentin Barco from Strasbourg.  

The new signings have not only improved the squad but also given the new manager the tools to play attacking and attractive football. Chelsea started the new season with an exciting 3–2 win away against Fulham. They then defeated Luton Town 2–0 in the League Cup, before beating Brighton in another nerve-racking 4–3 encounter.

Attackers Morgan Rogers, João Pedro, Pedro Neto, and Cole Palmer seems to be thriving under Alonso, with the four having already contributed to seven goals in the league.

Last season, they were struggling to create chances and score goals. Now, their attack looks primed to score several every game. 

With the addition of Rogers, they seem to have gone up levels in attack. In particular, it’s the pace up front that has looked lethal during turnovers and counterattacks. Few of those instances remind me of how Liverpool’s attacking trio of Sadio Mané, Roberto Firmino, and Mohamed Salah used to bomb forward under Jürgen Klopp. Although it’s still early days, it is clear that Alonso has worked closely with the attackers during pre-season. 

Cole Palmer struggled a lot for form last season, but he looks to be enjoying himself under Alonso. Not long ago, he would have been nailed on for England’s World Cup squad, but he ultimately missed out due to his poor performances. The rest over the summer seems to have done him a world of good, though.

Chelsea are producing attractive, free-flowing football as opposed to last season’s drab performances. This is the first time since the 2018/19 season under Maurizio Sarri that they have won their first three games of the season.

Blues fans are super excited with the rock-and-roll start to the season, though I don’t believe Chelsea are ready for a title challenge just yet. There are glaring issues on the defensive side of things. With Moisés Caicedo injured and Enzo Fernández on his way to Man City, Chelsea’s midfield and defence have flattered to deceive.

They have outscored their opponents, but conceding five goals in two league games, keeping a clean sheet in only their League Cup game against third-tier Luton, means there’s a lot of work to be done. 

When a new manager joins a club, there are likely to be teething issues, and Chelsea may be suffering from those. When given a little time, with key players returning from injuries, Alonso will surely tighten up the defence. Lack of European football could also act as a blessing in disguise for the West London outfit, as it gives them a relaxed schedule, leading to fewer chances of injuries, more time on the training pitch, and a single-minded focus on the Premier League and the domestic cups. 

The Chelsea management has already fixed several issues: they’ve brought in Maxence Lacroix to partner Levi Colwill at the heart of defence, Marco Palestra to fix the right-back problem, and, most importantly, the experienced Emi Martínez to replace the error-prone Robert Sánchez in goal, which was arguably their biggest weakness. However, they still have work to do.

For now, Chelsea are on a winning spree, playing exciting football, with Alonso bringing the noise and excitement back at Stamford Bridge. This Chelsea front line is versatile and dangerous and could cause opposition defences a lot of headaches this season. Looking at their blockbuster start, it will be interesting to see how the attackers combine and grow as the season wears on. There is a genuine possibility that they crash the goalscoring charts this term.