We’re now just a few days away from Chelsea’s first game of the new season — Monday night against Fulham at Craven Cottage — and hopefully the start of a brand new and greatly successful era as well under the guidance of Xabi Alonso.
In a recent survey by The Athletic, the Chelsea fanbase ranked fifth highest on the “hope-o-meter” with 94 per cent of respondents feeling hopeful heading into 2026-27. Of course, we were top of the charts this time twelve months ago (98 per cent voting hopeful) and we all
know how that turned out. You truly never know in football.
But this summer does feel a little different, and in a good way, thanks in large part to the shift in transfer strategy, which has brought some balance to the force, at least in theory. Alonso, who was given the title of “manager” rather than just “head coach” indeed seems to have had some influence on our dealings, and on the eve of the campaign, is feeling pretty happy about that.
“I’m really happy [with the squad]. I think that we have made many right choices. Very good balance in terms of quality, in terms of personality, maturity, different stages of the career. We’ve got good momentum and we are in a good position I would say.”
We also got most of that business done on time despite the World Cup, and our preparations, by and large, have been fairly smooth. Some of the most important players joined back up a bit later than it would’ve been ideal, but it’s a long season on a relatively light schedule without European football, so we should have plenty of time to train, gain, and mold the team in Alonso’s image.
The manager himself has gone about his business in a fairly quiet and steady fashion, nothing too flashy or ostentatious either on the training ground or in the media. He’s handled the usual concerns (bloat, transfers, ambitions) without making a big deal of them; he’s managed expectations without lowering them completely; and he’s projected a steadfast confidence that hopefully will translate to results on the pitch.
Good vibes are easy in the summer and things can change pretty quickly of course. But the foundations look solid.
The one (non-football) thing that might disrupt things is Enzo Fernández’s future. The rumor mill remains alive with that sound, though Alonso refused to get drawn on any of it in yesterday’s press conference, focusing on Monday’s game and what Enzo can bring to those proceedings (still).
“Enzo is a Chelsea player. He’s a top, top player. He’s training really well since he started ten days ago with the team, very integrated. We are happy with him and he’s getting ready for Monday.
“He’s training really well and I see him with a really good attitude and that’s what we want. Everyone is trying their best to prepare for the kick-off of the Premier League.”
Well, here’s to the new season. May it bring lots of joy, happiness, and shiny trophies.
“We have the ambition to have a great year […] to be as high as possible. […] For that you need to earn points and to win from early days and that’s our goal. Time will tell, but for sure the hunger to have success, the ambition to do well, to create good energy, good spirit within the team, that’s the first goal because that helps you be more competitive and win more games.”
-Xabi Alonso; source: Football.London
Can’t be higher than first place, Xabi! LFG.
