Roberto Di Matteo -- who led Chelsea to their first UEFA Champions League title in 2011/12 -- has backed new manager Xabi Alonso to lead the Blues back to Europe's premier competition in his first season at the helm.
Chelsea had a dismal 2025/26 season, finishing 10th in the English Premier League after sitting near the top of the table for much of the first half of the season. A mid-season collapse which accelerated after the January 1 departure of Enzo Maresca led to Chelsea failing to qualify for Europe.
However, Di Matteo, now an advisory board member at FC Zurich and a SuperSport pundit for the duration of the FIFA World Cup, believes that Chelsea's absence from European competitions this season may be a blessing in disguise for their Premier League hopes.
Roberto di Matteo played for Chelsea from 1996 to 2002, and managed the Blues in 2011 and 2012. Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images "The problem with the Chelsea history is that the last 25 or 30 years, we've been used to winning trophies almost every year; so we've been very spoiled over the last three decades. It's part of our DNA to expect a winning team," Di Matteo told ESPN.
"Circumstances change... A year ago, Chelsea won the FIFA Club World Cup and also the Conference League - so two trophies last year.
"People tend to have short memories sometimes and lack a little bit of objectivity in terms of results, but having said that, last season was not a good season in any terms for Chelsea Football Club.