Gary Neville, the former Manchester United defender, has expressed concerns about the monumental task awaiting Xabi Alonso at Chelsea. The Blues endured a challenging campaign, culminating in a 2-1 defeat to Sunderland on the final day, which left them in 10th place in the Premier League standings and without European football for the upcoming season.
Interim boss Calum McFarlane took over after Liam Rosenior was dismissed last month, marking Chelsea’s third managerial change in a season that started with Enzo Maresca at the helm. Alonso, who signed a four-year contract last week, is set to officially take charge in July.
Speaking on his Sky Sports podcast, Neville highlighted the magnitude of the challenge facing the Spaniard. “We’ve been discussing the size of the job Roberto De Zerbi has at Spurs; Alonso faces a similar situation at Chelsea. He has been appointed as manager, but he might as well be manager, sporting director, and owner combined. It seems the club has handed him the keys and asked him to fix everything because Chelsea is in a mess—it’s been a truly disastrous season for them,” Neville stated.
Alonso’s previous managerial stint at Bayer Leverkusen was highly successful, leading the club to their first Bundesliga title by overcoming Bayern Munich. However, his time at Real Madrid ended prematurely after just seven months, leaving his overall credentials under scrutiny.
In the loss to Sunderland, Trai Hume gave the hosts a first-half lead, and Malo Gusto’s own goal extended the advantage after the break. Cole Palmer pulled one back for Chelsea, but a late red card to Wesley Fofana—the team’s eighth of the season—sealed their fate. Only 10 men finished the match as they failed to find an equalizer.