Chelsea are also facing cultural issues that continue to undermine progress. These were brought into focus by a protest march involving around 200 fans on Wembley Way on Saturday.
There is a growing disconnect between supporters and the club, as well as fans and players. In some cases, there are also divisions within the squad and between players and the wider organisation.
One contributing factor, as influential co-owner Behdad Eghbali has acknowledged, “getting that stability on the manager side is one of the things we haven’t done right yet”.
The hope is someone of Alonso’s status and authority can help address that, reinforcing the club’s ambition and improving communication with both players and supporters.
On the pitch, he will be tasked with improving the team mentally, physically and tactically. Questions have been asked about the squad’s mentality, with accusations of players “downing tools” this term, having the worst disciplinary record in the division, and a poor record in key matches.
That includes a 14-game winless run against Manchester City and seven consecutive defeats in domestic cup finals.
Physically, Chelsea have been outperformed by opponents, having covered less distance than any other team in the Premier League this season, aside from a single exception at Anfield in the 1-1 draw against Liverpool last weekend.
Defensively, problems under Maresca earlier in the campaign evolved into wider issues at both ends of the pitch under Rosenior, whose six-game losing run without scoring ultimately led to his exit.
It was a closely fought match against Pep Guardiola’s side, but interim boss Calum McFarlane was left bemoaning the fact “football can be cruel”, believing his side deserved at least one penalty.
He added: “It’s a really talented group – there’s lots of quality. The fight and heart have been questioned at times, but in the last two performances I don’t think you can question that.”
There is quality, but plenty of work still to be done. Chelsea have a furious fanbase and gone from Maresca, Rosenior, McFarlane and now to Alonso in five months.
It’s an ownership under scrutiny and Alonso has much to do, and a tough task in trying to bring it all together.
