Chelsea’s pre-season training officially begins next Thursday, July 9, with plenty of hard work ahead for new manager Xabi Alonso and his players.There has understandably been a lot of excitement about Alonso’s appointment since it was announced in May. Despite lasting just eight months at Real Madrid last season, the former Spain midfielder is still regarded as one of the finest coaches in the game.Last season was one of the worst in Chelsea’s modern history. They finished 10th and failed to qualify for a UEFA competition for just the third time in 31 years. Worryingly, one of the other occasions was also under the Todd Boehly-Clearlake ownership, in 2022-23 — Chelsea ended up 12th in the Premier League that year — which further underlines how they are not the force they once were.Alonso’s task is to ensure Chelsea compete at the top of the Premier League again, play in the Champions League in 2027-28 and, ideally, have a trophy to celebrate, too. Here are just some of the key issues in his in-tray that he needs to address to succeed.Make players believe in the projectApart from academy graduates Reece James, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah (who is expected to be sold) and Josh Acheampong, Alonso’s squad is made up of players bought over the last four years.Footballers were convinced to join not just because of the financial rewards, but also because of the expectation that Chelsea would continue to compete for major honours. Yet, aside from the FIFA Club World Cup and UEFA Conference League wins in 2025, it has been a period without much success.One of Chelsea’s biggest signings, Enzo Fernandez, publicly questioned decisions being made by the hierarchy in March and is considering his future at the club. Another key player, Marc Cucurella, was also outspoken and has since been sold to Real Madrid.Enzo Fernandez will want to hear evidence that Chelsea will be contenders if he is to stay (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)The manner in which the team’s form collapsed — the club have blamed former head coach Enzo Maresca’s decision to resign midway through the campaign as a major mitigating factor — reinforced the sense that this is a group devoid of confidence in what is going on at Stamford Bridge.