Former Chelsea midfielder John Mikel Obi has shared his thoughts on the tactical setups of the club's new head coach, Xabi Alonso. The ex-footballer urged the manager to consider the club's traditions and fans' expectations, citing Ruben Amorim's situation at Manchester United as an example.
John Mikel Obi questioned what formation Xabi Alonso will adopt at Stamford Bridge:
How is he (Alonso) planning to play? Will he go with three centre-backs, or prefer 4-3-3 or 4-4-2? His knowledge and success at Bayer Leverkusen are tied to that system. When he tried to change formations at Real Madrid, it didn’t work out so well.
And here’s the question: will he come to Chelsea and try to play with three defenders? This isn’t our style. The same happened at Manchester United; Ruben Amorim came in, and everyone immediately said that three defenders aren’t the Manchester United way, that change is needed to play attacking football.
Will Xabi Alonso do this now? Will he stick with three defenders or switch to a back four? I know Chelsea fans: if you play with three defenders and the football isn’t looking exciting, they won’t accept it.
