Real Madrid · Spain · 44 yrs
New Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso wants his sides to dominate the ball, setting up attacks in opponents' halves for long periods. Through these small-space interactions between his players, the centre of the pitch can become crowded - but this is a deliberate quirk of Alonso's system. From a squad-building perspective, Alonso will be looking for technical players who thrive in small spaces, allowing his team to unlock defences' stubborn low blocks.
Chelsea have confirmed their full pre-season tour of the Asia-Pacific region, which will end with a match against Johor Darul Ta'zim at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Malaysia. The fixture on 11 August is one of only two played by the Blues - who will be led by new manager Xabi Alonso - against local opposition in that country. The match will also see Alonso face his former Liverpool team-mate Luis Garcia, who is chief executive of the Malaysian side.
Part of the recipe for football's incredible popularity is the way that a summer break of buying and selling players and changing things around behind the scenes can convince any fanbase that things are set to improve in the season to come, no matter how badly the previous one ended. Chelsea are a perfect example right now. A big injection of hope can make all those intractable issues feel manageable again, and that is what the news about Xabi Alonso being appointed as the club's new manager has done.
Watch BBC Sport Football tactics correspondent Umir Irfan break down Xabi Alonso's tactical philosophy and how he might apply it at Chelsea. "If you look at all of the top coaches now, barring a few, they've all got general principles but the formation is so fluid and it changes," he told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club.
Former Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney rates Chelsea's appointment of Xabi Alonso and likes the fact "he's been announced as manager" and not head coach. Alonso has signed a four-year deal and will be officially unveiled after his first few days of pre-season. "I'm going to praise the Chelsea ownership," said Rooney on The Wayne Rooney Show.
