​And so it begins, again. A new boss is through the door at Chelsea. Ambition and alignment are the buzzwords of the day. But for Xabi Alonso, the challenge of prolonging these positive sentiments beyond next May is blatant – it is the curse of the job he’s signed up for.Alonso is well-versed in the ruthless reality of management; seven months at Real Madrid will do that to you. He now finds himself at Chelsea, another club infamous for its turnover in the dugout. No Chelsea manager has lasted longer that two years since Antonio Conte, the man who also won the club their last Premier League title. Patience is scarce at Stamford Bridge, where four managers have left mid-season in the past five years.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementHe joins after Chelsea dropped into crisis at the backend of last season, plummeting to 10th and missing out on European football entirely with squad discipline waning. Alonso will need time to build his own culture to deliver the results the ownership so desperately crave – but he can’t be sure if he’ll get it.Xabi Alonso at his unveiling as Chelsea manager (PA)“Time will tell,” Alonso said. “ What I’m sure is that we have the ambition to win a lot of games, to be competitive. We need to take important decisions. We need to build strong principles and strong mentality and culture in the club. And time will tell.“I’m not going to say what will happen in May. For me, it’s absolutely too early to say that, but I’m confident, I’m optimistic to think that we can have a great season.”AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementChelsea’s acquisition of Alonso seems an absolute coup, snapping up probably the hottest property on the managerial market. His ill-fated spell at the Santiago Bernabeu should not cloud to astounding things he achieved at Bayer Leverkusen, going invincible to end Bayern Munich’s reign of terror over the Bundesliga. One more win in Dublin and he’d have pulled off an unprecedented unbeaten treble, only for Atalanta to spoil that party in the Europa League final.Instead, it’s more a question of what Alonso saw in Chelsea rather than vice versa, with bubbling fan mutiny against BlueCo hardly acting as the best advert for his new employers.Fan anger towards the Chelsea ownership can’t have been the best job advert for Alonso (PA)“I think that it was, when we started talking, it was a good moment, a good opportunity to come,” Alonso explained. “I don’t think that we are that far to creating a good team, to competing in any game and to win a lot of games. Honestly, I think that.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“For sure last year, some things happened. I positively think that we can do much better, change a few things for sure, updating and reinforcing in some positions.“If we get the right balance and the right decisions, we can have a good season. I’m optimistic and really believe it. I don’t think that we need to change everything. It’s about changing a few things