Chelsea warned against Xabi Alonso appointment as ex-Blues star is highlighted as ideal coach despite 'less experience'

Gallas ignited a debate between two contrasting managerial profiles. Fabregas has led Como to a historic achievement, securing European football for the first time in the club's history after a 1-0 win over Hellas Verona. Operating as a minority shareholder, he firmly rejects long-ball tactics. In contrast, Alonso achieved massive success by winning a historic Bundesliga title with Bayer Leverkusen. However, his reputation took a hit during his recent stint at Real Madrid, where he failed to control a dressing room full of big egos, ultimately leading to his departure in the middle of the current season.

Speaking to BetVictor, Gallas believes Fabregas is the perfect fit to manage Chelsea, who sit ninth in the league with 49 points and desperately need an FA Cup victory on May 16.

"Is Xabi Alonso the best appointment for Chelsea? It depends on whether Cesc Fabregas is available or not. Alonso would be good at Chelsea, he has the experience of winning trophies at Bayer Leverkusen. That was a great season for him. He learnt some big lessons at Real Madrid too, which didn't end well for him. If you asked me who I would prefer out of Alonso and Fabregas, I would rather Chelsea go get Fabregas. Okay, he has less experience, but if they give him time, Fabregas can bring success to Chelsea in the future. Football has changed. Managers need time now. In the past, they needed instant success, but now managers of that new generation need to build teams over time, and I think Fabregas would do that. What he has done with Como is incredible, which is a young squad, too."

If Alonso takes the job, he will inherit a young dressing room that demands careful management after the Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior debacles.

"The new generation of players have big egos when they've had a few great games, and that's it," he said. "It's an even bigger problem when you only have young players in your squad, as Chelsea do. You need to know how to speak to them. Xabi Alonso is from my generation. I think he would be able to communicate with the squad in an old-school way but also adapt to the new generation. If he doesn't change his approach to the new generation, then it will not end well for him. Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella shouldn't have made those comments in the international break. You can't make those comments when you're a senior player in the squad and when you're playing for one of the biggest clubs in the country. But, Liam Rosenior shouldn't have addressed it publicly in the press conference, that needs to be dealt with privately. If you speak negatively about a player in public nowadays, they are very offended and will blame the manager for poor performances. I think Alonso will know exactly who to look out for, especially Enzo and Cucurella, but there are four or five players he'll need to speak to in a different way compared to the rest. The players need to know that, simply, they are not good enough.”

Chelsea must quickly regroup for their remaining league fixtures against Tottenham and Sunderland, but their entire season hinges on the FA Cup final against Manchester City.