Copy linkFacebookXPinterestEmailShare this article 0Join the conversationFollow usAdd us as a preferred source on GoogleNewsletterSubscribe to our newsletterThe billions spent on young players and the constant churn for accountancy tricks, the erratic form and the bottom-half finishes: Chelsea are engulfed in an identity crisis of their own making and everybody knows Xabi Alonso needs a transitional year to sort this mess out.Whats needed is stability, order, calm; qualities Chelseas owners carelessly abandoned across the first four years of their tech bro, move-fast-and-break-things philosophy. The decision to hire Alonso as manager and not head coach - and to allow over-30s into the training ground - tells us they have learnt their lesson.But does Alonso, rocking up in this new and better environment, appreciate the chaos that came before him, that still hums in the background at Stamford Bridge? Judging by the instability, disorder, and erratic tactical setups this season, the answer is no. Alonso is a world-class coach, but he appears to be overthinking his tactics, which is the last thing such a tangled-up squad needs.Scrambled shamblesIn nine Premier League matches, Alonso has used six different combinations in defence and five different combinations of a two-man midfield. As we have highlighted before, he made the strange decision to trial a Henderson-Barco pivot in the defeat at Brentford, and then he got found out by an even stranger strikerless 4-4-2 in the 2-0 defeat to Tottenham.On Saturday, the tactical overthinking was a little harder to spot, but, again, complexity was unnecessarily introduced to a fixture against a Manchester United team waiting to be beaten. Chelsea were a shambles in the first half thanks to a strange use of Cole Palmer that scrambled brains in the middle of the park. When Alonso corrected his error with a far more normal 4-2-3-1 in the second half, Chelsea strode to victory. You may like Henderson-Barco pivot tells us Xabi Alonso failed to prepare Chelsea properly for Brentford Forget right-backs in midfield, Arsenals five-on-two shows Chelseas system is the problem Chelsea are scoring for fun but there's one bad habit Xabi Alonso needs to break to turn them into contenders In that chaotic end-to-end first half, Chelsea consistently lost possession in the middle of the park (leading to quick United transitions, then quick Chelsea counters back the other way, hence the carnage) because Palmers position meant the passing lanes werent open. Chelsea, lacking depth (or verticality), could not pass forward in an orderly fashion and therefore could not maintain a solid shape:In the second half, Alonso normalised things by playing Palmer higher and suddenly Manchester United couldnt cope with the passes through the lines.Get FourFourTwo NewsletterThe best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.Even the crucial opener was indirectly affected by this, with Manchester United players seemingly distracted away from Morgan Rogers by Palmers lurking presence.There is a clear lesson here for Alonso: his players young, new to the club, recovering from the tornado that was 2025/26 need a firm hand on the tiller; consistent team selection, simple patterns, and the opportunity to discover what it means to play for a normal club.In other words, these players have spent enough time charging around in circles. They need to be taught how to walk before they can run.TOPICSCole PalmerChelseaManchester UnitedPremier LeagueAlex KebleFreelance Tactics WriterAlex Keble is a freelance football journalist based in London, specialising in tactical analysis. Hehas written forBBC Sport, Goal, The Mirror, The Independent, Football 365, and many others. As well as covering Premier League football, Alex works as a child therapist.
