The Chelsea Collective

“There’s a lot of ‘freedom’ when we have the ball. But when we don’t have the ball there is not so much freedom.” | Speed of IQ over pace

[The Chelsea Collective @CFCCollective]

This PSG buildup setup (or lack of it) when their CBs are in possession is so uncharacteristically horrific.

[Nizaar Kinsella @NizaarKinsella]

Xabi Alonso will begin work on July 1. He is a manager and not a head coach to reflect his seniority and it shows how he will play a key part in building success. He will be collaborative on transfers with the hierarchy.

[Fabrizio Romano @FabrizioRomano]

🚨🔵 Xabi Alonso will be announced as new Chelsea manager very soon on a FOUR year contract, valid until June 2030.

Everything agreed as Xabi will be in London in the next days to start this new chapter.

Understand he’ll be very much involved in Chelsea summer transfer plans.

[Chelsea Dodgers @TheBlueDodger]

🚨🇪🇸 Xabi Alonso feels very, very ready! 🔵

(@FabrizioRomano) #CFC

[Ben Jacobs @JacobsBen]

Xabi Alonso is expected to be announced on Sunday and will begin his new role on July 1.

He will carry the title of 'manager' not head coach. This is a recognition of his experience and track record, including winning the Bundesliga with Leverkusen.

Alonso was a carefully considered choice by Chelsea's leadership with his coaching quality, trophy pedigree, character, emotional intelligence and leadership all noted during the process.

Alonso is viewed as calm, tactical and capable of building a high-performance culture at a key time for the club.

Chelsea feel their project is heading into a new phase from this summer.

There is an acknowledgement within Chelsea they had to get this appointment right as well as that mistakes have been made this season. Lessons have been learned.

The objective remains getting the club back to competing for the biggest honours, and back in the #UCL.

Alonso will work extremely closely with the sporting directors and owners including in recruitment and squad planning.

Understand Alonso believes the squad is already talented but there are areas to improve this summer.

Chelsea will seek multiple starters this window, including a new centre-back, and will consider signing Premier League ready players.🇪🇸

[David Ornstein @David_Ornstein]

🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Agreement complete for Xabi Alonso to become Chelsea manager. 44yo Spaniard visited London early last week & accepted opportunity; 4yr contract now finalised - announcement imminent. Primary target throughout + wanted #CFC move @TheAthleticFC https://t.co/4022hQsMXA

[Raj Chohan @rajsinghchohan]

Alonso is an excellent coach tactically and some would say he shoud’ve waited for a better job. But the big appeal for him here is he also wants a lot of control instead of the modern head coach-sporting director type relationship. He wants an Arteta-type blank canvas where he can override the board to make signings that he wants.

For Chelsea’s board, their recruitment model is not good, so Alonso’s demands are a better bet than trusting the guys in their hierarchy to build the squad. We have a 4 year sample size of transfer failure with them. Alonso shaping their recruitment vision, is a last Hail Mary to save the Clearlake era as they have shown themselves incapable of forming a hierarchy who makes good decisions.

Whether Alonso has a good enough vision to warrant this type of control is still TBC and make or break for this appointment to work. Recruitment at Leverkusen was purely handled by Simon Rolfes who is excellent and gave him excellent young talents to develop. Alonso instructed Real Madrid to sign Huijsen, Carreras & Mastantuono which is a mixed bag.

Generally I’m against coach’s having majority recruitment power. They have too many responsibilities to be doing this job as well as coaching the team. But there are instances like Arteta where the pros outweigh the cons.

Alonso’s player pull will also likely be big, so overall I would’ve done the same in Clearlake’s situation. Look forward to seeing the first transfers as it will tell us a lot about the direction/success of this appointment.

[Alex Goldberg @GoldbergCFC]

Put John Terry in charge for the rest of the season. I’m dead, dead serious.

[The Chelsea Collective @CFCCollective]

Surely 3-4-2-1 with Neto and Cucurella WBs?

[#8 @_JoeAlexanderr]

What was it that board member said? They were clearly building an elite team? It’s an unfit side, with gaping holes at core positions after £1.5 billion spent

[Simon Phillips @siphillipssport]

I’ve never seen a fan base so united in being against what their owners are doing, yet the owners remain so damn arrogant and stubborn in what they are doing that they are prepared to die on the hill for it, despite an entire fan base being against it. They’re absolutely deluded.

[The Chelsea Collective @CFCCollective]

@GoldbergCFC @lundstarm777 @DTReevesy Chelsea plays with an inverted LB which most suitable players would do better at than Cucurella. Far too simplistic to say ‘he’s a midfielder/not a lb’.

[The Chelsea Collective @CFCCollective]

With everyone fit and the owner’s vision, you could do this:

Sanchez
Gusto Fofana Colwill New LWB
Reece Caicedo
Palmer
Estevao JP Garnacho

Goes to 2-2-1-5 in possession and 4-4-2 OOP.

Sell Cucurella while stocks are highest.

[Nick Baxter @CFCMotive]

@B03GHB4L1 Him, Palmer and JP need to play as CAMs with overlapping FBs

[The Chelsea Collective @CFCCollective]

@GlennKi87 @kentemil @InvertTheWing Summer transfer talk needs to be in the context of the upcoming season, so excluding players who won’t play any role in that season is more than valid.

[Nick Baxter @CFCMotive]

@CFCMods Prem. I want both equally but the prem means so much

[Nick Baxter @CFCMotive]

It’s just not even worth engaging with this sort of content (which seems always aimed at our club). I’d personally draw the line at players that are 80% leaving, but including people like Guiu, Fofana, Mudryk and Paez is just so disingenuous.

[Nick Baxter @CFCMotive]

Clearlake do/will continue to look insanely smart in hindsight and have/will make us all eat our words.

They just have foresight that we don’t.

Mount, Gallagher, etc. All seen as bad decisions then, now all ridiculously good.

Maybe there’s a reason they’re billionaires.

[The Chelsea Collective @CFCCollective]

@KelsTheAnalyst @KelsTheAnalyst
Gittens/Neto - Xavi - Palmer
Pedro up top with overlapping RW?