Former Manchester United player, Gary Neville has issued a caution to the incoming Chelsea manager, Xabi Alonso following a ‘disastrous’ season for the Blues, which concluded with a defeat to Sunderland on the final day.
A 2-1 loss at the Stadium of Light resulted in Chelsea finishing in 10th place in the Premier League, failing to secure qualification for any European competitions.
Interim manager Calum McFarlane has been at the helm since Liam Rosenior was dismissed last month, marking Chelsea’s third managerial change in a season that began with Enzo Maresca in charge at Stamford Bridge.
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.
Manchester United icon and former England defender Neville remarked that Alonso has ‘one hell of a job on his hands’ in west London, believing he has been assigned the task of ‘sorting the club out’ after a ‘disastrous’ season.
Alonso, 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 by defeating European giants Bayern Munich.
However, his subsequent tenure at Real Madrid was less successful, culminating in his departure from the Bernabeu by mutual agreement after only seven months in charge.
When asked if Alonso indeed has ‘one hell of a job on his hands’ following Chelsea’s defeat at Sunderland, Neville commented on his Sky Sports podcast: “Yeah!
“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.”
Trai Hume provided Sunderland with a first-half lead on Sunday, and the hosts extended their advantage after the break due to an own goal from Malo Gusto.
Cole Palmer gave Chelsea hope with more than half an hour to play but the Blues were unable to score an equaliser and ended the match with ten men as Wesley Fofana was handed their eighth red card of the season, twice as many as the next highest club.