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

Morgan Rogers was quick to mention one of his closest friends, Cole Palmer, when he signed for Chelsea from Aston Villa. "We've been speaking about this for a while - that we would always love 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 probably the most special thing, playing with one of your best friends and being around him every day. It's something I'm really excited about." Both men might be keen to play together... but can new Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso find the system to accommodate two such similar profiles? We take a closer look at Rogers' skillset and assess how Alonso might set up his side this season. What is Rogers' style of play? It is difficult to clearly define Rogers by a fixed position. As with all players, getting the best from them means appreciating the wider role they are capable of. A player's ideal role can also change depending on the players around them and the opposition's set-up. Aston Villa manager Unai Emery gave Rogers a major role in the side's recent successes, something that contributed to his hefty transfer fee. Emery's system is built upon defensive solidity, often in a 4-4-2 shape off the ball. Villa often spent long periods without the ball before attacking into large areas of space at pace. This is a style of play that suits Rogers, who combines impressive ball-striking with standout athleticism. Last season, he generally played on the left of a 4-2-3-1, narrowing in from the wing and leaving the left-back to provide the width. From here he often opted to curl the ball into the far post with his stronger right foot, but could just as easily drag his shot inside the near post at the last moment. Out of possession, Rogers usually defended as a left midfielder in Emery's 4-4-2 but is capable of pressing in the front two alongside a traditional number nine. His positional versatility allows him to play as a narrow winger on both the left and right side of attack, before making runs akin to a centre-forward. He consistently injects pace into his team's attack with his direct nature both with and without the ball. How will Rogers fit in at Chelsea? Alonso's system has overarching principles, with the Spaniard seeking to dominate the ball and set up attacks in the opponent's half for long periods. This is different to the approach that got the best out of Rogers for Villa. Although this might raise some alarm bells, last season there was a rise in man-to-man pressure high up the pitch - making playing out from the back tougher. The best teams in the league, in response, have prioritised players who are capable of holding the ball up, carrying the ball over big distances, and able to beat their marker one against one. With opposition sides matching up man-for-man, the game then becomes a series of one-against-one duels, so strong players who can beat their defender are exceptionally valuable. All of these descriptions line up with Rogers' strengths. Against intense pressure, teams have opted to play longer passes into their forwards, skipping build-up altogether. Rogers is more than capable of receiving such direct passes. Although a possession-based coach, Alonso has shown the flexibility and intelligence to look for solutions against man-to-man pressure. The Chelsea manager is associated with a short passing game, but after Leverkusen lost the 2024 Europa League final to Atalanta - who man-mark intensely across the pitch - he showed pragmatism in his analysis. "We probably tried to play too many passes in the first phase, when we should have tried to attract the first player and then go long a bit more," he said. Rogers gives him a solution to the problems of a tactical landscape that has an emphasis on man-to-man pressing. How can Rogers and Palmer work together? Understanding Alonso's set-up can help to explain how Rogers and Palmer could thrive together. Irrespective of whether the Spaniard sets Chelsea up in a back four or a five, his team will move in the same shape in attacking possession, namely 3-2-2-3 or 3-2-5. Many of Rogers' best moments at Villa were in the inside-left channel. Alonso is likely to try to position him there when Chelsea have the ball. This means width on the left would have to come from another player - either a wing-back if Chelsea defend with a back five or a winger if it is a back four. In the latter formation, Rogers would be positione