When Chelsea appointed Antonio Conte as their manager in 2016, after a disappointing season the year before, what transpired in the 2016/17 season was beyond Chelsea fans' expectations.
The Italian joined the Blues after stepping down from the Italy national team, after the conclusion of Euro 2016, where the Azzurri went out in the quarterfinals, losing to Germany on penalties. In his first summer window, he brought in players such as N'Golo Kante, David Luiz and Marcos Alonso, all of whom were key players in Chelsea winning the Premier League title.
The appointment of Xabi Alonso has drawn comparisons between the 2016/17 side and this season's team. Let's take a deep dive into how the two sides might compare.
Formation and Personnel
Starting off, the similarities between Alonso and Conte are in how the two managers line up. Both lined up in a three-at-the-back formation, playing with wing-backs; what's even eerily similar is the player on the right-hand side was a winger turned into a wing back, in 2016 was Victor Moses, and today it's Pedro Neto.
In the midfield, both sides have powerhouses, N'Golo Kante and Moises Caicedo, partnered with a playmaker such as Cesc Fabregas, and a player who can play centrally as well as out wide, in Cole Palmer and Eden Hazard.
The state of Chelsea
When Alonso and Conte were both appointed, they came into Chelsea off the back of the club having had disappointing seasons, finishing 10th in 2015/16 and 2025/26, which helped the club the following season in having no European football, meaning they could focus on their league campaign, and being able to play their key players on the weekend, having training midweek too.
The managers' background
What drew attention to Chelsea acquiring both these managers was their success overseas in foreign leagues; Alonso won the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen in his second season, going unbeaten en route to the German title, with his high-tempo passing and counter-attacking football.
Whereas for Conte, he became the first manager to win three consecutive Serie A titles in a long time, between 2011 and 2014, it seemed each season "The Old Lady's" title-winning campaign would be more and more impressive, going unbeaten in 2011/12, and becoming centurions with 102 points in 2013/14.
If any of these managers' resumes are anything to go by, Chelsea fans should be expecting success, and exciting football but it might not always come to them as quick as they might like, but if it does come then they'll be sure to enjoy it.
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