How Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen blueprint could shape Chelsea

Xabi Alonso has started work as Chelsea manager, and his record at Bayer Leverkusen offers an early guide to the tactical approach Chelsea could adopt.

Alonso met his players and oversaw his first training session on Thursday after officially beginning work at Chelsea. In comments to the club’s in-house media on his first day, he described joining a club with major success over recent decades as a privilege.

His most clearly established tactical reference point is his time at Bayer Leverkusen, where he consistently used a 3-4-3. That side won the Bundesliga in 2023/24 without losing a league match, while also winning the DFB-Pokal and losing only one of 53 matches in all competitions.

At Real Madrid, Alonso used a more conventional 4-3-3 during a difficult spell in which he navigated a complex power struggle. That experience, along with Leverkusen’s ability to alter their approach when necessary, points to a manager prepared to be pragmatic rather than relying on one approach in every game.

How Alonso’s 3-4-3 works

The component parts of Alonso’s Leverkusen system were clear. Two ball-playing centre-backs sat either side of a more powerful defender, while one wing-back advanced high and the other moved inside to help the team build from the back. A midfield pair then threaded passes through the lines to two inside forwards.

Possession was worked through a compact central area before the wing-backs were brought into play later in moves to provide pace and width. The approach combined patient, intricate build-up with an intense press after possession was lost. Alonso’s Leverkusen side led the Bundesliga for possession, passes per sequence and high turnovers in 2023/24.

That did not prevent Leverkusen from changing their approach. In a 3-0 win over Bayern Munich in February 2024, they had 39 per cent possession, sat back and attacked on the counter. The result illustrated the pragmatic side of Alonso’s coaching.

Why Chelsea’s squad may suit the shape

Chelsea have players who could fit the roles within a 3-4-3. Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez have the athleticism, tactical intelligence and passing range to operate as the midfield pair, while Cole Palmer has the profile of an attacking player who can occupy the inside-forward spaces that Florian Wirtz used at Leverkusen.

Geovany Quenda was converted into a wing-back by Ruben Amorim at Sporting, while Marco Palestra offers another aggressive option in the wide role. Morgan Rogers is a hybrid winger and number 10 who could fit behind a striker, and Joao Pedro has the qualities of a forward who can drop off the front line.

There are also options in defence. Reece James and Jorrel Hato can play in the middle as well as at right-back and left-back respectively, suggesting they could operate either side of Levi Colwill in a three-man defensive line. The squad may still require additions if Alonso is to imprint his ideas fully.

What comes next

Pre-season and the summer transfer window should offer the first indication of how quickly Chelsea can put Alonso’s ideas into practice. His Leverkusen record provides a strong case for a back-three approach, but his past work also shows a willingness to adapt according to the game and the players available.

For Chelsea, the immediate task is to translate those principles into a new setting: controlled possession, central overloads, high wing-backs and an aggressive press, with the capacity to take a more pragmatic route when the occasion calls for it.