Rival fans talk about Xabi Alonso to Chelsea

Indiziert: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]But with Alonso, it didn't not work out at Madrid because he's a bad coach. It didn't work out because there's so much unrest and it's a different environment going to Chelsea. Like yes, there's pressure, but the difference of Madrid to Chelsea in this current moment is huge. Like that is a completely different kettle of fish going to Madrid. Like a player that goes there, if they don't like you within that first game, they're booing you. Like it's a different environment altogether. With Chelsea, I feel like he I want to say he gets time, but he firstly will command a lot more respect because of the type of footballer he was. I think there's a massive thing with that. He's going to be able to galvanize the squad and get some, you know, consistency within their team. I think they've got a lot of center-backs though. Four-back three formation. They do have quite a few center-backs, so um it could benefit in that regard and then they've got a really good midfield.

[00:00:51]Really like the strength of their midfield, so yeah, I I guess he's kind of got a bit you know, a basic kind of squad base there. Cucurella left-back, you know, or left wing-back or whatever the system will be. He's got a few players that he can work with there. I just you still need a striker, I think, of course.

[00:01:09]Um it's it's exciting, I think. It's exciting to have that kind of quality of manager in the league.

[00:01:15]I think with Alonso, like he's already got that respect. He's already done what he's done with Leverkusen. Like that was an impossible task to do and he's done that. Madrid didn't work out and I don't think that that should be pinned on him in in its entirety. What I would say is I thought it would maybe be someone more like a Cesc Fàbregas that would be in line for the Chelsea job.

[00:01:36]I think he gets fans back on side. He gets gets fans off of blue coats back.

[00:01:41]So yeah, I didn't really necessarily see this this link-up. I think I think with Alonso, it could work and like every single club has to give time and stability. Now, I understand that it's probably hypocritical of me to say because of Thomas Frank, me calling and and saying he probably should have been gone by November after the Arsenal game. Is he a good manager? Yes, I think it would be a good >> manager. I think for Chelsea fans it would be a good appointment. Whether or not it would work with Blue Coat, that's a totally different thing.

[00:02:07]Yeah, but as I say, the only the only thing Martial I would look at is the fact that he did work well with with a lot of young players at Leverkusen, of course, and Chelsea do have a lot of young exciting talented players in there, the likes of João Pedro's, the Cole Palmers, etc. Uh do you think he could potentially evolve their game? And And if he was to come in, would you expect Chelsea to turn it around, or do you think as Abby was touching on that the Blue Coat situation is just too much for any man? No, Abby's right in that sense, but I do think that, you know, the way that Alonso is, he's he's more of a bad tactics kind of manager. He's not about aging men in that kind of sense and balancing egos, I would say, so he you know, younger players are going to more take to tactics and ideas and kind of, you know, theories about the game, and they're going to want to learn certain things, so he doesn't have, you know, a load of experienced players that know their game and and how to play the game, and he's not managing that situation. It's about teaching players to win football matches.

[00:03:06]Like you said, there was a similar kind of thing at Leverkusen, so this is a good kind of fit for him in that sense, but um >> [snorts] >> again, there's there's things beyond obviously managing teams that that can affect, you know, the results of football clubs, like the board, so it could be difficult. It could be.

[00:03:22]>> And if FSG are flaking on Alonso >> And look, if they think that Slot's the man for next year, and it isn't Alonso, and these guys That's as good as we can get. That's as good as we can get, Xabi Alonso. Alonso will want to keep it more controlled. He His Leverkusen team were very much short passing, um possession, trying to find your moments and whatnot, you you know. Um and and to be honest, if we have one game a a week next season, I wouldn't mind Alonso's maybe back three. Three three a week?

[00:03:49]Potentially, like No, I wouldn't [clears throat] mind Alonso's back three. Something different.

[00:03:54]It's something It's something It's something different.

[00:03:58]Um Who knows?

[00:04:00]Who knows he shouldn't have to do it is go in and go right as you say right Alonso, what do you want right now? Cuz he could go I want Cucurella gone. They need to go all right. Cool. We're going to get that done for you. And he goes and he he needs to go I need another two center backs 28 to 30 league and league winning center backs. They go cool. All right, we got you. And I'm pretty I'm pretty sure that Xabi Alonso is a smart man. He would have seen what's going on at Chelsea. So I would imagine one of the first things he done after getting those assurances from the club will be going to the likes of Enzo Fernandez and look mate, what are you doing? Do you want to go to Madrid? Cuz if you're coming here, if you're staying here, we're doing it my way. It's going to be none of this you know, undermining managers by talking about which clubs you want to go to. Do you want to go Do you want Madrid or Chelsea? You're a good player.

[00:04:50]I'm happy to have you on board, but we're going to do things my way. If not, mate. Yeah. And I the same conversation Cucurella, you get those guys out. You bring in players that are going to follow your your lead and I reckon he'll do well there. I think it cuz this is this is this is huge for Cole Palmer.

[00:05:06]Think about how Wirtz was deployed at La Leipzig sorry Leverkusen under Alonso and then also where Cole Palmer's been at his best at Chelsea. I think it's really really similar. In the way that I think this could be like it's the players that I'm looking at Chelsea. I mean we can maybe do this as a rocket ranked in terms of one, two, and three for the players that could be you know, best lifted by Xabi Alonso. I think Acheampong could be really really good as like a right center back for Chelsea as in if if he wants to do a back three. I think João Pedro as a striker obviously he's already been great under Mourinho and Cole he's been fantastic second half of the season. But also Cole Palmer is just so good. I think what it is with Cole Palmer it's it's that classic thing in it. He's had injuries and with that comes um loss of confidence. You will often So, we said that with Ødegaard as well. Once a player has injuries or has a serious injury, they often take time to get back to their best. In the meantime, there's pressure on them to perform, confidence drops, and um that's what can happen.

[00:06:07]But, I still think that Cole Palmer is an excellent player. I just think this season's been a bit of a write-off for him. If he um I'm not You can enjoy I hope you don't You know, in in in some ways, I'm going to say this. Obviously, I'm not Chelsea fan, so I've got no real skin in the game. But, it would almost be better for him if he's not selected for the World Cup. Take the summer off, get your injuries sorted out, do your rehab, come back fresh and raring to go.

[00:06:31]I'll tell you that. If you allow Xabi Alonso to go to Chelsea and not even try and do your due diligence with regard to getting Xabi Alonso, I think that'd be a massive own goal for Liverpool. Of course it would. Mhm.

[00:06:43]Of course it would. I thought you were going to play it safe and say, "Oh, well, give the diplomatic answer." No, no, no.

[00:06:48]Just cuz I'm in a suit, I'm not a politician today. It's like, how were Liverpool going to let that happen?

[00:06:53][clears throat] Given the season Given the season >> I said that. Arne Slot has had. I mean, I know they want to be this loyal club and we give him another year in cuz he's got so-called credit in the bank. But, if you look at the way that club is going, the trajectory under Slot at the moment, I think they'd be missing a trick by letting Alonso go to Chelsea.

[00:07:12]Like, you know, if we if we talk about how back threes have gone and sorry, in the Premier League in the last few seasons. But, obviously at Like, obviously I know I think I know I know about that more than most at the minute.

[00:07:22]But, even in other clubs and stuff, it's not really worked on so many occasions.

[00:07:25]>> You know what that reminds me of, right?

[00:07:26]Sorry to interrupt.

[00:07:27]>> You want to It's almost like you've gone to visit a house, all right? And you think, "Wow." And you say to the person, "How much do you want?" And they say, "Uh 250 grand," say. Yeah.

[00:07:38]>> And you think, "Wow, is that it?" You know what? Let me Let me get that deal done now. BUT, BUT BITE YOUR HAND off for that in London.

[00:07:44]If I was Chelsea, I'd get that deal done. But from Alonso's perspective, having just been at a club that as as you correctly put it is an absolute basket case at the moment. So when we're going to talk about basket cases in the Premier League, Chelsea are up there.

[00:07:56]It's Chelsea and Spurs. I would say that like Real Madrid is kind of different in the sense that Chelsea's issues is more more with like the I don't know how to word this properly.

[00:08:08]It's more like the board's decisions that affect the pitch.

[00:08:11]>> of unity and their message and goal.

[00:08:13]>> of like the signing of players etc. not really being steadfast in how they approach some windows etc. Whereas Real Madrid is just like, you know, you've got players fighting, players revolting against staff members, managers etc. Whereas you see even when Liam was around, you could tell that those players didn't really rate him. But they're not coming they're not doing what Vinicius Jr. was doing like all of them. Do you know what I mean?

[00:08:36]>> Yeah, I think Chelsea will be more in acknowledgement that there needs to be change. Blue Cole will think, yeah, actually we do need to go in a different direction. Whereas where we're seeing with this guy, he's not acknowledging any fault or any He's saying, "Listen, the problem is that lot, not me."