When Chelsea announced Xabi Alonso as their manager in the summer to replace Liam Rosenior, many people viewed it as a shrewd appointment regardless of how his time at Real Madrid was and how it ended.
Fast forward five games into the Premier League season, and Chelsea currently sit 10th in the table and have accumulated seven points after going unbeaten through their first three games, but after a humiliating second-half display at Brentford on Friday night. Chelsea fans are starting to question Xabi Alonso's tactics and whether it's working with the players currently at the Spaniard's disposal.
But where Alonso ranks on the list of Chelsea managers since 2000/01 after their first five Premier League games is quite surprising, with Alonso in 18th position, only Mauricio Pochettino with fewer points than him. Managers above him, especially in the top five, have had not-so-successful Chelsea careers, so this list suggests you can't always judge a manager by their first five games.
Joint Fourth - Thomas Tuchel and Jose Mourinho (2004), 13 Points
Both Tuchel and Mourinho were some of Chelsea fans' most loved managers due to the success they brought to the club, as well as the relationship they had with fans and players.
Tuchel was brought to Chelsea to turn around their poor first half of the season, with the side sitting ninth. Tuchel drew his first game against Wolves before going on a four-game winning run, and the club turned their fortunes around, finishing fourth and winning the Champions League against Manchester City in Porto, a night Chelsea fans will never forget.
Mourinho came to Chelsea in the summer of 2004 and won them their first league title in 50 years, dominating the league, finishing 12 points ahead of Arsenal, and only losing one Premier League game all season, as well as winning the League Cup. With "The Special One" winning his first four games before drawing to Aston Villa.
Joint first - Carlo Ancelotti, Liam Rosenior, and Maurizio Sarri, 15 Points
These three managers are the only ones on the list to have won their opening five Premier League games of their Chelsea career. Ancelotti and Sarri both won silverware whilst at the club, whilst Rosenior started his managerial stint off well; it ultimately tailed off.
Ancelotti left Chelsea in 2011 after a successful stint at the club, winning the Premier League and the FA Cup in his first season at the club, as well as the League Cup the following season. He left the club to go to Paris Saint-Germain, but left an everlasting effect on the club with how they played and went about their transfer business.
Although Mauricio Sarri was a polarising figure during his time at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea fans can't deny he performed well for the club, winning the Europa League against Arsenal in Baku, as well as getting the side a top-four finish. But he was ultimately sacked after a season in charge of the Blues.
Rosenior was brought in midway through the 2025/26 season, after the club parted ways with Enzo Maresca, and Calum McFarlane briefly took charge. He was nabbed from Chelsea's sister club, Strasbourg, and ultimately didn't pay off when he was sacked after 104 days in charge, failing to see the club to the end of the season.
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