Chelsea\u2019s move for Morgan Rogers has raised the same question many of their previous transfers did: what, exactly, is the long-term idea? Yet this deal appears to be different. Unlike much of the BlueCo recruitment that has come before it, Rogers was signed with Xabi Alonso\u2019s backing, and the new manager has already outlined a clear intention for him.<\/p>\n
Alonso spoke this week about Rogers\u2019s adaptability, but his comments pointed towards a central role rather than a permanent place wide on the left. \u201cI think that one of his best qualities is that he\u2019s flexible,\u201d Alonso said. He then added that Rogers is likely to operate in \u201cthat pocket position, close to the striker, close to the other 10,\u201d while also noting that the player can work from the right or arrive from the left.<\/p>\n
That possibility sits neatly with the assumption that Alonso may lean on a 3-4-2-1, the shape he used so effectively during Bayer Leverkusen\u2019s unbeaten Bundesliga title run in 2023-24. In that system, Rogers could occupy the left-sided No. 10 role, with Cole Palmer alongside him and Jo\u00e3o Pedro ahead.<\/p>\n
There are, however, other clues. Jamie Gittens, who has already felt the impact of tactical shifts in the past, sounded comfortable with the possibility of a wider role. \u201cI think [Alonso\u2019s style can suit him as a winger]. Last season was a 4-3-3 as well with two wingers which is always good, so let\u2019s just see,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Alonso\u2019s own recent history adds another layer. At Real Madrid last season, he used a 4-3-3 while trying to balance his squad, and this week he stressed that flexibility will remain central. \u201cWe will be flexible in our tactics, in our approaches, game plans,\u201d he said. \u201cFor sure the ideas, the principles of what we want can be the same. But we have tried and we will try different ideas, mainly because these players have done it.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s not that I\u2019m changing everything. It\u2019s about updating, developing something that they have done with new concepts that each manager has. But the good thing is that many things that I like they have already done. So now it\u2019s about changing or updating a few other things.\u201d<\/p>\n
The biggest tactical issue may be how Rogers and Palmer fit together. Alonso has made clear he wants them on the same side, saying: \u201cI have a plan. I have an idea. I can see them linking really well.\u201d Whether that means a shared central lane in a 3-4-2-1, or one of them drifting wide in a 4-3-3, will shape Chelsea\u2019s attacking balance. A more adventurous option would place both behind a lone midfielder, a setup that may be reserved for weaker opponents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Alonso has a plan for Rogers, Palmer and Chelsea, but the exact shape remains the key question.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18062,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[190],"tags":[1754,1836,1081],"class_list":["post-18063","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea","tag-2026-27-fixtures","tag-2026-27-premier-league","tag-adaptation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18063","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18063"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18063\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18062"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18063"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18063"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.weplayfpl.com\/news-articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18063"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}