Alonso's overarching principles
[Getty Images] New Chelsea boss Xabi Alonso wants his sides to dominate the ball, setting up attacks in opponents' halves for long periods. In possession, he wants his teams to focus on playing many short passes in opponents' halves. By positioning themselves close to their team-mates, Alonso's sides cluster around the ball allowing them to press in numbers if they lose possession.
This allows them to win it back quickly and continue to apply attacking pressure. Through these small-space interactions between his players, the centre of the pitch can become crowded - but this is a deliberate quirk of Alonso's system. From a squad-building perspective, Alonso will be looking for technical players who thrive in small spaces, allowing his team to unlock defences' stubborn low blocks.
Despite having a general attacking structure, Alonso has been seen granting players with exceptional talent creative freedom within his set-up. Florian Wirtz, at Leverkusen, was allowed to roam across the width of the pitch, and his quality between the lines made him the perfect profile of player for Alonso's approach. Although less suited to playing in very small spaces, there is the potential for Alonso to trust a player of Cole Palmer's quality with a more free role.
Read more on how Alonso might set his new side up here Here we see five players across the attacking line for Real Madrid despite starting with a back four. What stands out is the close proximity four players have around the ball. Alonso's rationale is that if Madrid were to lose the ball, they would be well placed to press and win it back immediately.
[BBC]