Chelsea interim manager, Calum McFarlane, has said incoming boss Xabi Alonso will take charge of a squad rich in quality, insisting the team’s underwhelming 2025/26 campaign does not reflect its true potential.
Plenty of talent at Chelsea’s disposal
Speaking to the club’s official website, McFarlane maintained that Chelsea F.C. possess players capable of competing with the best in Europe when performing at their peak.
“I think that this group has shown when they’re at their best and when we’re in the right place, we’re a match for anyone across Europe, they’ve shown that this season,” he said.
“That hasn’t been seen enough throughout the year, that definitely hasn’t been seen enough in the second part of the season. We’ve got some real quality players, we’ve got a new manager coming in who’s got a brilliant reputation in the game.
“We’ve still had some flashes in the last month of what this group can do. It’s doing that on a more consistent basis.”
Despite his positive assessment of the squad, McFarlane pointed to disciplinary issues—particularly red cards—as a key area requiring improvement under Alonso.
“It’s definitely an issue, it’s definitely a problem. I think we’re by far the team that’s got the most red cards in the league,” he said.
“Pretty sure if you look at Arsenal F.C., for example, who have won the league, I don’t think they had one red card.
“It doesn’t help having that many red cards. It’s definitely something we need to look at and improve for next year.”
Going into the final day of the Premier League season, Chelsea sat eighth in the table, just enough to secure UEFA Conference League qualification, but ultimately fell short of European qualification after finishing one point outside the places.
Their campaign also ended in disappointment with an FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City F.C., capping off a frustrating season.
