Xabi Alonso has shed light on how Chelsea will navigate their leadership dynamics in the wake of Reece James's injury. The manager highlighted that captaincy is not confined to wearing an armband and mentioned a number of players who are ready to lead the team.
With James as captain and Enzo Fernandez previously serving as vice-captain, how has the captaincy setup changed?
Everything is fine.
We've got Moises, Levi Colwill, and other players who are stepping up and handling their responsibilities well.
They feel supported by the rest of the squad.
The team sees them wearing the armband, so there are no issues.
In Reece's absence, who takes on that responsibility? You mentioned Levi and Moises. What do you expect from them without the captain around?
You can be a captain without the armband. For me, that's not a problem at all.
Of course, if you do wear the armband, you should take pride in it and embrace that responsibility.
But you can show your leadership qualities without it.
That's why we have a group of leaders.
They need to guide their teammates not just on match days but throughout the entire week.
Who else makes up this leadership group, and what does each bring to the team? What can Levi, Moises, Jordan, or Cole Palmer offer?
Each player has their own personality.
Levi is different from Reece, and Moises has his unique style too.
Cole, Hendo—all of them are distinct.
That's why it's crucial for me to have the right blend of characters, qualities, and players at various stages of their careers.
They support each other, and in that regard, I think we're in a good place.
Specifically, why did Levi wear the armband in the recent win against Bournemouth instead of Moises?
I can’t go into too much detail on that.
One of Chelsea's former managers mentioned that he expected more from Reece as a captain when injury struck a few years back.
Who said that?
It was Enzo Maresca. How confident are you that you will get the level of leadership you need from your captain?
I’m completely confident in that.
I think he takes great pride in playing for this club.
He is proud to have reached this stage, having spent many years here and gone through several different periods.
Now, he naturally embraces this responsibility and exhibits his leadership in his own way.
His teammates respect him greatly, and he also feels the support of the other players.
