Chelsea coach Alonso could still play in the Premier League, says Rogers

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Morgan Rogers believes Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso still has the quality to play in the Premier League himself, and he feels the Spaniard’s pedigree helps him win respect from players.

Alonso will take charge of the Blues in a competitive game for the first time on Monday, as they visit Fulham for their opening match of the Premier League season.

He only lasted half a season in his previous role with Real Madrid, despite Los Blancos winning 70% of their games under him (P34 W24 D4 L6).

At his previous club, Bayer Leverkusen, Alonso masterminded an unbeaten Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal double in 2023-24. Across his time in charge, he won 62.8% of his matches at the helm (P140 W88 D33 L19).

In the Bundesliga specifically, Alonso has a better win ratio than any other head coach in Leverkusen’s history (64%, 60/94).

But Rogers feels Alonso’s playing achievements – which include winning the 2010 World Cup with Spain and the Champions League with both Liverpool and Madrid – have been just as important in helping him win the respect of Chelsea’s players. 

Rogers told ESPN Brasil of Alonso: “He’s still got it now. There are certain sessions where he’ll ping a ball and you’ll be like… He could probably still play in the Prem now!

“He’s got bags of ability, bags of quality. I think that helps you as a manager as well, with respect element of it.

“He’s played the game, he’s played in these moments in the big games, in the pressure situations, he’s won what he’s won as a player.

“You have that utmost respect for him as a coach and as a manager that he’s been in those situations, and he knows how to manage them and handle them.

“I have massive respect for him as a player and obviously as my manager and my coach.”

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 19, 2026

Rogers became the most expensive British player in history when he joined Chelsea from Aston Villa, having registered 56 goal involvements (31 goals, 25 assists) for his old club – only Ollie Watkins (74 – 50 goals, 24 assists) has more for Villa since Rogers joined in 2024.

And Rogers feels Alonso’s tactical approach will help him reach his best level at Stamford Bridge, as he prepares to link up with Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro.

“As an attacking player, he allows freedom and he allows rotations and allows me to play off the cuff and to be me, which is the way I want to play and the way I see the game,” Rogers said.

“Some things you can’t explain what you’ve seen in a game or how you’ve been, but if you’ve been given that confidence from the manager, to try and do those things, I think that’s where I can be at my best.

“Those were the conversations I had with him, which I was really excited by and really looked forward to, which is the most important thing for me.”

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