West London derby sees Alonso’s Chelsea face Arbeloa’s Fulham
Alonso’s first Premier League XI
Xabi Alonso has announced his initial starting lineup for Chelsea in the Premier League, featuring new signings Maxence Lacroix and Morgan Rogers. The team is set to compete against west London rivals Fulham. This match marks Alonso’s first competitive game as Chelsea manager since taking charge this summer.
Robert Sanchez will start in goal for Chelsea. He is expected to be supported by a defensive trio comprising Josh Acheampong, Maxence Lacroix, and Levi Colwill. Other players included in the squad are Malo Gusto and Jorrel Hato.
Captain Reece James and Romeo Lavia are slated to play in midfield roles. Morgan Rogers is making his competitive debut for Chelsea, joining Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro in attack. The substitutes for Chelsea include Penders, Chavarria, Barco, Fernandez, Neto, Quenda, Gittens, Estevao, and Welbeck.
Former teammates now rivals
The match at Craven Cottage features an intriguing encounter between Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea and Alvaro Arbeloa‘s Fulham. Alonso and Arbeloa, who were once teammates, are now managerial rivals in the Premier League’s opening round.
Both Alonso and Arbeloa were managers at Real Madrid last season. Arbeloa took on his first senior coaching role after being promoted from the reserve team to replace Alonso. Alonso’s tenure at Real Madrid lasted until January, following his move from Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the 2024-25 season. Alonso was appointed Chelsea’s manager in May, while Arbeloa took over at Fulham in early July.
The careers of Alonso and Arbeloa have often intersected. Alonso moved to Liverpool in August 2004, with Arbeloa joining Anfield in January 2007. Both players then transferred to Real Madrid within weeks of each other in the summer of 2009.
Alonso, a central midfielder, was the first to depart the Bernabeu, joining Bayern Munich in 2014. Arbeloa remained at Madrid for two additional years before concluding his playing career with an injury-affected final season at West Ham United. They also represented Spain together on 38 occasions, achieving success in the European Championship in 2008 and 2012, and winning the country’s first World Cup in 2010.
Both players retired from playing at the end of the 2016-17 campaign. Alonso began his coaching career in Madrid’s academy in the summer of 2018, managing the under-13 side. Two years later, Arbeloa joined La Fabrica to coach at the same level. Alonso subsequently coached Real Sociedad‘s B team and Bayer Leverkusen, where he secured a German league and cup double in his debut 2023-24 campaign, with only one loss in the Europa League final against Atalanta.
Arbeloa continued to advance through the ranks at Madrid, eventually becoming manager of Real Madrid Castilla, the reserve team playing in Spain’s third tier, last summer. A few weeks later, Alonso was appointed to the first-team job. For six months, they worked in close proximity at Madrid’s training facilities, discussing academy players Arbeloa had helped develop, including forward Gonzalo Garcia and midfielder Cesar Palacios, who have since joined Fulham this summer.
Managerial styles and past interactions
During Alonso’s time as manager at Madrid, questions arose about his approach. Arbeloa maintained a low profile during this period. In December, when speculation about a change in management was prevalent, Arbeloa was asked about Alonso’s performance at a Castilla press conference. He responded by stating that Alonso was an exceptional coach and that every team experiences ups and downs.
When Real Madrid president Perez decided to make a change after a narrow defeat by Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana final on January 11, Arbeloa addressed his predecessor in his first press conference as Madrid’s new coach. He highlighted their strong relationship and mutual appreciation, mentioning that Alonso had wished him well, and he would do the same if their roles were reversed. Arbeloa noted that their friendship takes precedence and that they had spoken at length the previous day.
Their close bond has been evident throughout their careers, both on and off the field. During Jose Mourinho‘s initial period as Madrid manager from 2010 to 2013, both Arbeloa and Alonso faced criticism for their physical tackles against Lionel Messi and other Barcelona players. Alonso, known for his more private personality, typically adopted a diplomatic stance publicly, while Arbeloa often defended Madrid in the media, embracing his ‘The Spartan’ nickname.
Arbeloa’s on-pitch clashes with Barcelona players, who were also his Spain teammates, reportedly led to national team coach Vicente del Bosque excluding him from plans for the 2014 World Cup. When Arbeloa announced his international retirement on Twitter in May of that year, Alonso publicly responded with a message that included the nickname ‘Truffles’. This nickname originated from their time at Liverpool, where Alonso humorously coined it after Arbeloa made a poor pass during a training session.
Beyond their playing careers, the two also spent time together. In September 2015, they and their partners vacationed in Capri. Two years later, they participated in the Behobia-San Sebastian 20km cycling race. Their recent spells as Madrid first-team coach last season highlighted differences in their managerial styles. Alonso adopted a rational approach, focusing on detailed tactical instructions and maintaining a professional distance from his players. Arbeloa, in contrast, employed different methods after taking over in January, often publicly praising his high-profile players and granting them more on-pitch decision-making freedom.
Arbeloa’s assertive style was also apparent during his time coaching in Madrid’s academy, where he had multiple confrontations with Fernando Torres, another former Spain and Liverpool teammate, who was then coaching in Atletico Madrid‘s youth ranks. Torres, now in charge of Atletico’s reserves, has also seen Arbeloa’s fiery side since he joined Fulham. During a 2-2 friendly draw against Malaga on August 12, Arbeloa received a red card for arguing with the referee after Malaga equalized via a late penalty.
Alonso’s more reflective personality has been observed in his initial weeks at Chelsea. He mentioned last month that he carried a metaphorical “scar” from his Madrid experience, but stated it had already “healed.” When Alonso posted on Instagram on July 10, marking his return to coaching at Chelsea’s training ground, Arbeloa, who had been confirmed as Fulham’s new head coach three days prior, quickly responded. The pre-game handshake at Craven Cottage on Monday night will mark the first time Alonso and Arbeloa meet as opponents.
Source: chelseafc.com
Priya Menon 