Alonso was officially announced as Chelsea’s new manager last week, signing a four-year contract, and is set to assume his role in July.
By Kehinde Okeowo
British commentator and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has issued a note of caution to incoming Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso following a ‘disastrous’ season by the Blues.
He gave the warning to the former Real Madrid manager on his Sky Sports podcast after Chelsea suffered a 2-1 loss to Sunderland on the final day of the season.
Trai Hume provided the home side with a first-half lead, before they extended their advantage after the break due to an own goal from Malo Gusto.
Although Cole Palmer gave Chelsea a glimmer of hope with more than half an hour to play, they were unable to rescue a point after Wesley Fofana was handed their eighth red card of the season.
The defeat at the Stadium of Light resulted in Calum McFarlane’s men finishing in 10th place in the Premier League and failing to secure qualification for any European competition.
Meanwhile, Alonso was officially announced as Chelsea’s new manager last week, signing a four-year contract, and is set to assume his role in July.
ALSO READ: Lehmann advises Arsenal’s Raya ahead of UCL final, says ‘Do not get sent off’
The Spanish tactician, regarded as one of the finest players of his generation, made a significant impact in his first managerial position at Bayer Leverkusen, where he led the German club to their first-ever Bundesliga title, dethroning European giants Bayern Munich.
However, his subsequent tenure at Real Madrid was less successful, culminating in his departure from the Bernabéu by mutual agreement after only seven months in charge.
Asked if Alonso indeed has ‘one hell of a job on his hands’ following Chelsea’s defeat at Sunderland, Neville responded, “Yeah!”
The United legend further remarked that he believes the former Liverpool midfielder has been assigned the task of “sorting the club out” after a ‘disastrous’ season.
He added: “We’ve been discussing the magnitude of the task Roberto De Zerbi faces at Spurs; Xabi Alonso must undertake a similar challenge at Chelsea.
“He has been appointed as the manager, but he might as well have been designated as manager, sporting director, owner, and everything else.
“It appears they have entrusted him with the keys to the club and requested him to resolve the issues because Chelsea is in a difficult position; it has been a truly disastrous season for them.”
