Alonso Era Begins as McFarlane Prepares for Tottenham Clash

On the surface, this week is about Chelsea vs Tottenham. A London derby, European places on the line, penultimate game of the Premier League season under the lights at Stamford Bridge.

In reality, all roads led to one name in Cobham on Monday morning: Xabi Alonso.

Calum McFarlane, Chelsea’s interim head coach, walked into his pre‑match press conference knowing it. Spurs are coming. The rivalry is fierce. The stakes are high. Yet every second or third question dragged the conversation back to the man who will not officially start work until July 1, but already feels like the central figure in Chelsea’s next chapter.

Alonso announced, McFarlane still in charge

Barely 48 hours after Chelsea’s FA Cup final heartbreak against Manchester City, the mood around the club shifted. News broke that the club had reached an agreement with Alonso on a four‑year deal to become Liam Rosenior’s permanent successor. By Monday morning, the announcement was official.

McFarlane remains in the dugout for the final two games, exactly as planned. His job is to finish the season, secure as strong a league position as possible and, crucially, drag Chelsea into European football.

He knows whose shadow he’s working in, and he isn’t fighting it.

“Everyone is excited,” McFarlane said when asked about Alonso’s arrival. “He's a great coach, won major trophies, a great playing career. He will have lots of respect from everyone. We're very excited.”

That word – respect – kept circling the room. Alonso carries it into every building he walks into. Cobham will be no different.

A text from the new boss

McFarlane revealed he has already heard from Alonso, though he was careful not to turn a private exchange into a headline.

“He sent me a text message yesterday,” he said. “I will keep that private, but mainly about the final.”

A small detail, but a telling one. Alonso is not in the building yet, but he is already tuned in to what Chelsea are going through. The FA Cup defeat still stings; the new manager has acknowledged it.

As for whether McFarlane will be part of Alonso’s backroom staff, there are no answers yet.

“I don't know at this moment in time,” he admitted. Asked again later if he would like to work with Alonso, he pushed it away. “I haven't thought about that. There's so much to prepare for.”

For now, his focus is Tottenham.

Chelsea’s pull and the summer ahead

McFarlane was not surprised Alonso chose Chelsea.

“It doesn't surprise me, we're a massive club with some of the best players in the world,” he said, a pointed reminder of the scale of the project Alonso is walking into.

The appointment is expected to have an impact well beyond the dressing room. Alonso’s reputation, both as a Champions League‑winning midfielder and as a coach who has quickly built a strong pedigree, is expected to carry weight in the transfer market. Players know his track record. They know the level he has operated at.

Inside the current squad, the reaction has been positive.

“Everyone is excited,” McFarlane repeated. The sense is clear: this is a group ready to be led by a figure of that stature.

Spurs, rivalry and the race for Europe

All of that, though, sits alongside a very immediate task. Tottenham at Stamford Bridge is never just another fixture. The rivalry lives in the stands, in the tackles, in the tension that hangs over every mistake.

Do the players understand that?

“The players have showed fight and heart in the last two games,” McFarlane said. “For me, that's not an issue. Everyone knows about the rivalry but both teams also have lots to play for. Both teams are fighting for the points, so we shouldn't need to add extra motivation but it will naturally be there.”

Chelsea’s mission is simple: win the last two games and give themselves the best possible chance of finishing as high as they can and securing European football.

“We're very, very focused,” McFarlane stressed. “We need to win the next two games to give ourselves the best chance to finish as high in the table as possible and get European football.”

No dressing it up. No talk of experiments. The season still has something to offer, and McFarlane is treating it that way.

Colwill’s return and selection dilemmas

One of the brighter notes in a demanding week has been the return of Levi Colwill. Thrown back into the fire with starts at Anfield and in an FA Cup final, the young defender has reminded everyone why he is so highly regarded.

“It's been great to have Levi back – great for English football as well,” McFarlane said. “We have a really talented, high potential player here. To perform away at Anfield and in the FA Cup final, we're all really excited about Levi.”

Can he start again so soon? That’s less clear.

“We need to be careful with Levi,” McFarlane cautioned. “He's performed well in those two games. We'll see how he looks today.”

The squad picture is not entirely clean. Romeo Lavia, who has endured a stop‑start season, took a “slight knock” in the build‑up to the cup final.

“Nothing major,” McFarlane said. “With Romeo, we don't want to take that risk. We need to be careful.”

Benoît Badiashile and Malang Sarr did not make the squad for the final, but could come into contention before the season ends.

“Benoit and Mamadou didn't make the squad – we can use them in the next two games potentially. We have a lot of players in their position.”

The full fitness picture will only become clear later.

“They're gonna train this afternoon and we will have a much better idea of where they are,” McFarlane added.

Two games, one looming future

For now, McFarlane operates in a strange in‑between. He is the man on the touchline, the one answering questions about team news, intensity and selection. Yet every answer seems to orbit Alonso’s impending arrival.

“Really exciting news,” he called the appointment. “Great coach with a massive pedigree. We're all really looking forward to working with Xabi.”

The Alonso era will not officially begin until July. The banners, the first team talk, the first team sheet – all of that can wait.

Before then, Chelsea have a derby to win, a season to salvage and a European place to chase. How they finish these last two games will say plenty about the squad Alonso is about to inherit.