Chelsea played all the hits of a bleak season in Sunderland loss – Xabi Alonso has a big job ahead

Chelsea played all the hits of a bleak season in Sunderland loss – Xabi Alonso has a big job ahead

Chelsea ended 2025-26 in 10th place — year four of BlueCo — posting a club-record 10 red cards and five straight scoreless league losses, a run unseen since 1912. Xabi Alonso faces a full squad rebuild; a European-free season gives him pre-season continuity, but only if ownership backs his transfer calls without override.