Chelsea face 'most difficult' obstacle in Premier League title race as Arsenal reveal blueprint

Ruud Gullit has explained what Xabi Alonso needs to do in order to mount a Premier League title bid at Chelsea.

Ruud Gullit reckons Chelsea could rival Arsenal in the Premier League title race if Xabi Alonso can steady the ship at Stamford Bridge. The Blues enjoyed a promising start to the new English top-flight campaign, storming past Fulham and Brighton.

Although Chelsea tasted victory against the Cottagers and the Seagulls, only two teams, Aston Villa and Ipswich Town, had conceded more goals in the opening pair of games. The Blues then lost to Mikel Arteta's side at the Emirates Stadium, dropping three crucial points in the early stages of the title race.

Unlike Chelsea, the Gunners have since maintained a perfect record, establishing quite a lead over every other team in the Premier League other than Manchester City. If the Blues are to narrow the deficit following the international break, Gullit has claimed that Alonso will need the help of his newly acquired experienced players.

"I like that the first thing Xabi Alonso did was go and bring more experience into this Chelsea team," the former Chelsea great told ComeOn. "He knows they needed it, and it means that Chelsea as a club have changed their philosophy a bit for Alonso.

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"They saw it wasn’t working, and they’ve tried to change it. It will still take time for Chelsea because they have so many young players there, and Alonso will need time to bring some order to them."

Gullit added: "Can they win the title this year under Alonso? You know, it could happen, but it’s about sustainability. That is the most difficult part. It’s very difficult."

The Dutchman singled out Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck, who Chelsea signed in the summer, as two players who could teach the younger players about what it takes to mount a title bid.

"Look at Chelsea and who they brought in this summer with Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck. That is so important for the locker room and for the training sessions.

"The older players can teach you what it takes. When you're young yourself, you need to learn it from somewhere else, and they didn't have that at Chelsea."

Since Roman Abramovich was forced to sell Chelsea in May 2022, BlueCo have forked out €2.1bn (£1.8bn) on 133 new signings while recouping €1.37bn (£1.18 bn) from 137 player sales. Over the last four years, the west London outfit has spent by far more than any other Premier League club, but they've also sold more.

Interestingly, Arsenal actually have a greater net spend (-€724.8m/-£621.9m) than Chelsea (-€699.39m/-£600m) during this period. On the choice of spending by English top-flight clubs, Gullit said: "If you have a lot of money, it is difficult to spend it wisely.

"Very, very difficult. The top five clubs, most of the time, they get one out of every three signings right, and they’re the ones who are going to make it, and that is good, if you’re lucky.

"It’s not easy to buy players of a high standard, who can also make it in the Premier League because it’s a league that is played to a totally different tempo, a different way of playing. There’s so much that goes into it, therefore it’s obvious that you are not going to get that instant success. Look at last year in Europe.

"Many of the English teams were struggling. Liverpool are a good example of how it is the most difficult part to buy the right players. It is really, really hard. Chelsea also go and buy all the best young players again and again, but that doesn’t give them success either.

"There are so many examples of teams that buy players and success still doesn’t come. We have seen how to do it with Arsenal, but how long did it take them? Year after year, bit by bit, but a lot of money every year.

"You see Liverpool. They were unbeaten in the Champions League until the knockout stages, and then they were knocked out immediately. There are no certainties in football, no matter what you do, but that’s a good thing about the game now. "