Xabi Alonso is fully focused on trying to bring Chelsea back to the summit of English soccer, but he couldn’t help and reflect on his turbulent Real Madrid tenure, admitting he feels like “it ended a little bit earlier” than expected, without knowing if he could’ve possibly led Los Blancos to success.

After getting appointed as Carlo Ancelotti’s successor at Real Madrid in the summer of 2025, Alonso lasted just eight months at the Bernabéu. Unconvincing performances, a fractured relationship with Madrid star Vinícius Júnior and puzzling team selections all contributed to the Spaniard getting sacked after losing to Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup final in early January.

In an interview for Sky Sports with former Liverpool teammate Jamie Carragher, Alonso reflected on his brief stint at Real Madrid. Although he admitted he feels like it ended prematurely, he also holds no resentment toward the team despite how things unfolded.

“The feeling a little bit that it finished a little bit earlier,” Alonso said. “[Not] knowing if it was going to finish well or wrong. It was in the middle of the season, we were still in La Liga and the Champions League. But it was an experience to manage Madrid.

“Madrid is special in everything. It’s a little bit different to other clubs in everything. And I learned from that and I don’t look back with anger, I look back with ‘okay, I tried it, I tried to give my best’ and now focusing on the future. But I had to try it.”

The Reason Why Alonso Decided to Become Chelsea Manager

Even after his unsuccessful tenure at Madrid, Alonso remained a coveted managerial candidate, with a number of teams linked with trying to sign him in the months that followed. Given his Liverpool past as a player, many expected him to become the Reds’ new boss as the Arne Slot era at Anfield crumbled.

Nevertheless, Chelsea moved quickly and appointed Alonso as their new manager even before the 2025–26 season ended. Alonso’s decision to land at Stamford Bridge caught many by surprise, but he revealed that for him, it felt like the right place at the right time.

“It was about the timing,” Alonso said. “For me it was the right time after Leverkusen, after Madrid. I had my time off and I wanted to choose to have a good connection, a good feeling about where to go.

“And I knew Chelsea. I had no link but what I heard, what they had, the potential was here, few things could change. And I thought that we could start the journey together. I had a feeling that, a very strong base of the squad was very good.

“With some updates, improvements, new signings of different profiles we could have a solid team. And it was going to be a project; it’s not that in year one it’s already done. We know it might take some more years, but the first year is important and here we are, it’s just starting. The feeling is that we could be aligned, on the same page. That’s going to be important.”

Alonso Is Certain Chelsea ‘Will be Better’ Come Season’s End

Alonso’s tenure at Chelsea has started with mixed results. The Blues have one of the strongest attacks in the Premier League and currently sit fifth in the standings, but only the newly-promoted Ipswich Town have conceded more goals than Alonso’s men, who are coming off a dreadful home defeat against Tottenham Hotspur.

Still, the Spaniard admitted Chelsea are a work in progress, and that his team will look vastly different come the end of the season. Not only different—he’s sure the Blues are going to be better.

“The Chelsea we are now and the Chelsea we will be in May, it will be different,” Alonso said. “And I’m sure that it will be better, because on this way, there will be a lot of ups and downs. How to overcome those downs, how to take the positives from the ups, will make us, in this journey, get better.

“I’m sure of that. Even in this seven games I’ve felt [this]. In 38 games, there will be more. And with those experiences, with the players we try to get better. We improve together.”

Chelsea are obliged to bounce back from the unacceptable performance against Spurs with two marquee fixtures looming. Alonso’s men face a daunting trip to Liverpool on Wednesday in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup before hosting the struggling Manchester United at the weekend, looking to return to winning ways in the Premier League.