Granit Xhaka has said that a tactical change he proposed to Xabi Alonso helped set Bayer Leverkusen on the path to their unbeaten league title, according to reporting by Daily Cannon. The former Arsenal midfielder made the claim in a September interview that has resurfaced as Alonso's Chelsea side endures a difficult start to the season. Chelsea have won four, drawn one and lost three of their first eight Premier League matches, leaving them eight points off the pace.
Why it matters
The renewed attention on Xhaka's account lands at an awkward moment for Alonso. Chelsea spent heavily to assemble the current squad, and Alonso arrived with a strong reputation, so the team's early results have drawn scrutiny from the club's own supporters, Daily Cannon reports. With no European fixtures on the calendar to spread the load, the league table is the main measure of progress, and the numbers so far are modest.
The most recent setback was a 2-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, a side that had managed six goals across its other seven league games. Even Liverpool, traditionally slow to find rhythm, look the more plausible title contender at this stage, according to Daily Cannon. Questions about Alonso's tactics have grown louder among Chelsea fans as a result.
What Xhaka said about the Leverkusen conversation
In the September interview, Xhaka recalled his first outing for Leverkusen under Alonso, a friendly against Real Sociedad in Spain. Alonso began the match with a back four, but Xhaka said the side did not feel right on the pitch.
He described approaching the coach during the game and telling him the team would struggle badly in that shape. When Alonso asked why, Xhaka said he replied that the squad lacked the character and the players to make a back four work. According to Xhaka's account, Alonso changed the setup.
Xhaka framed the episode as evidence of Alonso's openness as a coach, describing it as a sign of a "big human being" in managerial terms. He then linked the adjustment to what followed: an unbeaten league title, a run to the Europa League final and a German cup triumph that ended a 32-year wait for the club.
Daily Cannon notes that Alonso clearly wanted to work with Xhaka again and pushed to bring him to Chelsea over the summer. Sunderland declined to sell, with suggestions that the club regarded Chelsea's opening bid as insulting. Reports at the time indicated Xhaka was open to the move, but he has since told the media he felt his work with the north-east club was unfinished.
A coach now searching for his own answers
The subtext of the resurfaced interview is that Alonso no longer has Xhaka on hand to offer in-game observations. Daily Cannon's assessment is that Alonso must now devise his own plan to reverse Chelsea's form without that sounding board.
For Chelsea, the immediate pressure is results rather than process. A squad built at considerable expense, a manager hired on reputation and a fixture list free of continental commitments together create an expectation of a fast start that has not materialised. The home loss to Tottenham sharpened that contrast, coming against opponents who had struggled for goals elsewhere.
Alonso's record at Leverkusen remains the strongest argument in his favour, and Xhaka's account of the Real Sociedad friendly is a reminder of how quickly a single tactical adjustment can reshape a season. Whether a similar correction is available to him at Chelsea is the open question.
Watch Chelsea's next league fixtures for signs of a change in shape or personnel, and whether Alonso's standing with the club's supporters steadies or continues to erode.
