Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink says Chelsea may encounter a ‘problem’ should they hire Xabi Alonso but refuse to ‘give him the keys’ or allow him to guide on ‘football decisions’.
Chelsea’s seek for a seventh everlasting manager within the space of just five years is ongoing after Liam Rosenior was put out of his misery and relieved of his duties last month.
Rosenior enjoyed a promising begin to life within the Stamford Bridge dugout but results spiralled from early February and a wretched run of 5 straight league defeats – without scoring a single goal – meant his position was deemed untenable.
Under-21 coach Calum McFarlane picked up the pieces from Rosenior’s turbulent 107-day tenure and has done a commendable job, steering the club into this 12 months’s FA Cup final before holding Liverpool to a 1-1 draw at Anfield on the weekend.
But a heavy 3-1 defeat at home to Nottingham Forest served as a stark reminder of Chelsea’s desperate league position – and Stamford Bridge bosses are desirous to secure a deal for Rosenior’s everlasting successor sooner relatively than later.
Since Rosenior’s sacking, a number of high-profile names have been linked, including the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Xavi and Andoni Iraola, with the latter confirming that this season might be his last at Bournemouth.
Alonso has also emerged as a real candidate in recent days and reports on Monday indicated he can be ‘open’ to the prospect of taking charge in west London.
The 44-year-old announced himself as one of the vital sought-after coaches in European football at Bayer Leverkusen, but has been out of a job since parting ways with Real Madrid after only eight months in January.
‘I don’t think he did that badly at Real Madrid,’ former Chelsea striker Hasselbaink said of Alonso on Sky Sports News.
‘Obviously what is anticipated at Real Madrid is being at the highest all season but I feel he was still inside touching distance of Barcelona.
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‘The issue is he wants to administer how he wants to administer and he feels that the players need to follow him. Stars are a bit of bit different, you would like the support of the club.
‘I actually like that, I like that he has his way, “That is how I see it, you players are going to follow my guidance and that is how I would like to play and also you’re going to play in a system, you’re going to run”, and if Chelsea chooses him, you’ve to provide him the keys.
‘I’ve all the time said that whoever you select, you’ve to provide them the keys and the players have to know that he’s the decision-maker.’
Asked if Chelsea’s hierarchy can be prepared to let Alonso be the important thing decision-maker, Hasselbaink replied: ‘That’s a matter for them, but I feel that’s the one way it should work.
‘Players have to know that the manager is in charge for football decisions and the moment they know that, they may run harder, they may do their best.
‘So should you’re going to decide on Alonso, give him the keys and trust the method. Trust the method and let him lead.’
Hasselbaink has a level of sympathy for Rosenior and feels strongly that the problems at Chelsea run far deeper than whoever happens to search out themselves sitting within the dugout.
‘I don’t think Liam Rosenior really was the mistaken person,’ he went on.
‘Enzo Maresca also had no credentials, he didn’t have experience, but he was absolutely magnificent. He played a certain way and he was successful.
‘He won the Europa Conference League, he won the Club World Cup, he got them within the Champions League when he left, they were in a superb position.
‘What happened in that spell of time when Enzo left and Liam was there? What happened? That’s what we’d like to search out. Why did it go suddenly like that? I cannot only be Liam’s fault.
‘That’s where they really want to have a have a look at what has gone mistaken and we’d like to make that higher for the following manager to are available in.
‘Yes, I do agree that I prefer someone with pedigree and who has been there since it’s a giant, big club with big, big players. Normally you’ll associate that job, when it becomes available, with a Thomas Tuchel, a Mauricio Pochettino, a Jose Mourinho, a Carlo Ancelotti, these type of names.
‘Why are those form of names not linked anymore? That’s what we’ve to take into consideration in my view.’
Chelsea’s squad have an ideal opportunity to finish their immensely disappointing season on a high this weekend after they take to the sector against Manchester City at Wembley.
And while they undoubtedly go into the ultimate because the underdogs, Hasselbaink isn’t ruling out Enzo Fernandez and Co pulling off a giant upset.
‘There’s all the time a likelihood. You never know, that’s the great thing about football,’ the Dutchman, whose Chelsea side finished runners-up within the FA Cup back in 2002, explained.
‘It looks very tough on paper, it looks very hard. In the event you would have said to me that Chelsea would get a draw at Liverpool, play actually rather well and should win, I’d have said, “Really?”, attributable to the best way they’ve been playing of late.
‘In order that’s the following step for them. It’s a challenge, it’s going to be difficult, but it surely’s possible.
‘They went to Manchester City a number of months ago they usually drew that game, they played the second half exceptionally well.
‘A final is a final, you never know what can occur. It’s a one-off game so there’s every thing to play for.’
It’s proven to be Cole Palmer’s most difficult 12 months yet since swapping City for Chelsea back in 2023, with fitness problems making for a stop-start season wherein he has missed 12 games within the Premier League alone.
On Palmer’s struggles, Hasselbaink said: ‘He didn’t have a correct pre-season, that’s what it began with, then there have been niggling injuries and he hasn’t really been capable of get his rhythm going.
‘He’s not been capable of get himself playing pain-free and he can be the primary one to say that he hasn’t played his best football.
‘But he still attracts players to him when he’s on the pitch and offers free space to other players.
‘I feel he needs a superb holiday after the World Cup after which from there he can construct himself back up.’
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