Why Rogers and Palmer will thrive together in Alonso's Chelsea

Why Rogers and Palmer will thrive together in Alonso's Chelsea Morgan Rogers was quick to name Cole Palmer as one of his closest friends when the £117m attacking midfielder signed for Chelsea from Aston Villa. "We've been speaking astir this for a portion - that we would ever emotion to play together," said the £117m attacking midfielder. "He's been non-stop ringing my phone, texting me, and I can't wait. That's astir apt the astir peculiar thing, playing with 1 of your champion friends and being astir him each day. It's thing I'm truly excited about." Both players are eager to link up, but the question remains whether new Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso can devise a system that accommodates two similar profiles. What is Rogers' style of play? Rogers resists easy positional labels. To get the best from him, coaches must appreciate the broader roles he can fill, which shift depending on teammates and the opposition’s shape. At Aston Villa, Unai Emery deployed Rogers in a wide midfield role within a 4-4-2 that emphasized defensive solidity. Villa often surrendered possession before launching rapid attacks into wide areas. This approach suited Rogers, who combines powerful ball‑striking with notable athleticism. Last season he frequently operated on the left side of a 4-2-3-1, drifting inside from the flank while the left‑back supplied width. From there he would often curl efforts toward the far post with his stronger right foot, yet he could just as easily cut inside and fire from the edge of the box. Out of possession, Rogers usually defended as a left midfielder in Emery’s 4-4-2 but is capable of pressing high alongside a conventional number nine. His positional flexibility lets him appear as an inverted winger on either flank before making forward runs reminiscent of a centre‑forward. He consistently injects tempo into his team’s attacks, both with and without the ball. How will Rogers fit in at Chelsea? Alonso’s philosophy centres on dominating possession and building attacks in the opponent’s half for extended periods—a contrast to the direct style that yielded success for Rogers at Villa. Nevertheless, recent trends show that teams facing intense man‑to‑man pressure in the final third benefit from players who can retain the ball, carry it long distances and win one‑on‑one duels. Alonso has acknowledged this reality: after Leverkusen’s 2024 Europa League loss to Atalanta, he admitted, “We astir apt tried to play excessively galore passes successful the archetypal phase, erstwhile we should person tried to pull the archetypal subordinate and past spell agelong a spot more.” Rogers offers a solution to the tactical challenges posed by man‑to‑man pressing. His ability to receive long, direct passes into advanced areas makes him valuable when Alonso opts for a more pragmatic approach against aggressive opponents. How can Rogers and Palmer work together? Understanding Alonso’s setup clarifies how the duo could thrive. Regardless of whether Chelsea lines up with a back four or a back five, Alonso’s attacking shape in possession tends toward a 3-2-2-3 or 3-2-5 formation. Many of Rogers’ standout moments at Villa came from the left‑half space. Alonso is likely to position him there when Chelsea have the ball, meaning width on that flank must come from elsewhere—a wing‑back if Chelsea retain a back five, or a winger if they play a back four. In the latter case Rogers would start more centrally. One reason Alonso favoured the Rogers signing is his capacity to operate across the attacking line, most recently demonstrated when he played as a right winger for England against Argentina. Palmer likewise excels in the right half‑space. When in possession, the two could occupy the central channels alongside each other in a 3-2-2-3 structure, with a striker such as Joao Pedro leading the line. Rogers can exploit large spaces, while his link‑up play, central passing and ball‑striking from the edge of the box complement a teammate like Palmer who shares a similar wavelength. A core element of Alonso’s model is prioritising short passes to keep players well placed for counter‑press if possession is lost. Rogers’ combination of link‑up ability and physicality makes him a good fit for this principle, and his talent for making late‑match runs is something Palmer will look to exploit. Alonso’s preferred 3-2-2-3 shape places Rogers in the left number‑10 slot and Palmer in the right number‑10 slot—a pairing that looks promising. To get them into those zones, Alonso could begin with them in those positions ahead of a back five, using wing‑backs on either side, a setup he employed regularly at Leverkusen. If Chelsea start from a 4-2-3-1, the same effect can be achieved by having one of the two play as a number‑10 while the other drifts centrally from the wing, with the corresponding full‑back pushing forward; width on the opposite side would be held by a winger. Whether the longstanding chemistry between Rogers and Palmer—who won the FA Youth Cup together at Manchester City in 2020—will translate into on‑field success remains to be seen. What is certain is that Rogers is a versatile, Premier League‑proved player whose skill set aligns with many of the attributes Alonso seeks to implement at Chelsea. Image captions: Good friends Palmer (left) and Rogers are present team-mates Although Rogers often defended arsenic a wide midfielder successful a 4-4-2 nether Emery, helium would look to get into positions specified arsenic this 1 to sprout from In the Europa League last successful May, successful bid to bushed Freiburg's pressure, Aston Villa could spot the shot into Rogers, who showed bully hold-up play In the 2024 Europa League final, Atalanta bushed Alonso's all-conquering Bayer Leverkusen 3-0. Leverkusen initially tried to play retired against Atalanta's aggravated property but arsenic the cripplet progressed, Alonso encouraged his squad to play long Alonso's Leverkusen successful possession usually had a backmost three, a constrictive midfield two, and a beforehand 5 encouraged to instrumentality turns and driblet heavy to enactment players connected the ball. The 2 wide