Alonso Inherits a Quality Squad, Says McFarlane

In a conversation posted on the club’s website, McFarlane explained that Alonso has a team “capable of far more than they achieved this term.”

“I think that this group has shown when they’re at their best and when we’re in the right place, we’re a match for anyone across Europe, they’ve shown that this season,” he said.

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“That hasn’t been seen enough throughout the year, that definitely hasn’t been seen enough in the second part of the season. We’ve got some real quality players, we’ve got a new manager coming in who’s got a brilliant reputation in the game.”

“We’ve still had some flashes in the last month of what this group can do. It’s doing that on a more consistent basis.”

McFarlane also highlighted that reducing the number of red cards will be a priority for Alonso.

“It’s definitely an issue, it’s definitely a problem. I think we’re by far the team that’s got the most red cards in the league,” he said.

“Pretty sure if you look at Arsenal, for example, who have won the league, I don’t think they had one red card.”

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“It doesn’t help having that many red cards. It’s definitely something we need to look at and improve for next year.”

When the final day of the Premier League season arrived, Chelsea were eighth in the table, a position that would normally secure a spot in the UEFA Conference League. However, they finished one point short of European qualification, completing a disappointing campaign that also saw the club lose the FA Cup final to Manchester City.