Rodri

It's all been very underwhelming so far. I was wrong to call Xabi Alonso elite, clearly, because even though he showed he can elevate an average team into a top team at Leverkusen and that he has elite tactical potential at Real Madrid, his intentions and game-model at Chelsea so far has been really disappointing. The back 5 speaks for itself. I was borderline arrogant in my analysis of him before he joined the club because I refused to entertain the idea that he would use a back 5 in more than 5% of games. This has not proven to the case, and the issues with that model are so, so clear in the modern game. As for the back 4 which he has primarily utilised lately, it is also underwhelming. There has been very little build-up play from goal kicks. They have an awkward and clunky high build structure with Lavia in the first line, Acheampong in the top line, and Palmer dropping into the pivot alongside Caicedo with Palestra holding the width on the left. Chelsea don't consistently have players high and struggle to progress through the pitch because of that and oftentimes 2 out of their front 5 include a fullback on the wing and a centre back between the lines. The front 3 are often too far apart and can rarely combine because of it. They press man-to-man from goal kicks which is fine but in open play their 4-4-2 lacks reliable pressure on the ball. They don't have reliable central or wide triggers to transition into a man-to-man press. They try to jump from a mid-block into a man-to-man press at times but it happens sparingly. And even when they do defend low they often do so passively with basic breakdowns in communication or a lack of intensity with people like Rogers being lax on the left of the midfield 4 or the front 2 not being intense enough. Combine that with some subpar individuals in defence like Fofana and Lacroix and the whole thing is just messy. Chelsea have some unbelievable quality so they will of course be in and around the Champions League spaces irrespective of their tactical frailties (just like Manchester United were when Ruben Amorim was sacked), but Xabi Alonso was brought in to be an elite manager. So far, he simply hasn't showed that he is that. The culture is still not where it needs to be, but I can understand why that's the case because it takes time to resolve a deep-rooted issue like that. Tactically, though, I am incredibly underwhelmed. The back 5 is doomed at Premier League level for the elites. The back 4 is the way forwards, but even at that the implementation of it has been bang average in every phase, both with and without the ball. I have said it before and I will say it again - Xabi Alonso needs to show a LOT more.