Bulgarian pop star Dara has won the Eurovision Song Contest with her pneumatic dance anthem Bangaranga. The 27-year-old topped both the public and the jury vote in a nail-biting conclusion, soaring ahead of Israel in second and Romania in third to score a massive 516 points
‘Entire NTA panel under scanner’: CBI widens NEET leak probe after 2nd insider arrestNTA expert Manisha Mandhare was arrested in the NEET-UG leak case, a day after alleged kingpin PV Kulkarni was held. Updated on: May 17, 2026 8:03 AM IST By Anita Goswami | Reported by Neeraj Chauhan Share via
‘Dead scared to take a loan’: Hyderabad techie says IT jobs no longer feel secure amid layoffsA Hyderabad-based software engineer claims he is “dead scared” to take a loan right now due to lack of job security. Updated on: May 17, 2026 6:44 AM IST By Sanya Jain Share via Copy link A
Tamil Nadu CM Vijay keeps home, police and women welfare portfolios in first TVK governmentTN Governor Rajendra Arlekar approved the allocation of portfolios to the nine ministers, along with Vijay, who were sworn in last week. Updated on: May 17
Meta employees took free snacks, chargers during layoffs: ‘Almost like doomsday’A former Meta employee has revealed that workers at the tech giant stuffed their bags with free goodies on the eve of the company’s first major layoff Updated on: May 17
No trophy in turbulent season but Alonso arrival offers Chelsea hope
No trophy in turbulent season but Alonso arrival offers Chelsea hope
Only a few hundred dispirited Chelsea fans were still inside Wembley as Cole Palmer and Co trudged up the steps to collect their losers' medals following their FA Cup final defeat by Manchester City.
The news of Xabi Alonso's impending arrival as the club's new manager, which filtered out within the aftermath of Saturday's 1-0 loss, would have lifted their mood.
The appointment of the former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen boss, 44, is expected in the coming days and he will be unveiled in pre-season, with his contract beginning on 1 July.
Win or lose at Wembley, Chelsea had already been close to making a decision on Liam Rosenior's replacement - and keen to avoid creating a distraction for players and staff involved in the showpiece occasion.
There was, therefore, nothing to delay the announcement once the match was over, allowing attention to turn to the future.
Although Alonso, who enjoyed a distinguished playing career and led Bayer Leverkusen to league and cup success in Germany, is an exciting appointment for supporters, there is also an acceptance he faces a difficult task.
Chelsea are heading into a turbulent summer as the FA Cup final loss denied them another route into European competition.
Champions League qualification is already out of reach, while a place in the Europa League looks unlikely with the club currently ninth in the Premier League with two games left and probably needing at least a seventh-placed finish.
Conference League football would do little to improve finances or excite fans used to facing Europe's elite.
There is a realistic chance Chelsea will miss out on Uefa competition altogether. However, sources at the club strongly reject suggestions they would prefer to avoid qualifying for lesser competitions, or be content without European football, despite their settlement with financial regulators following significant spending on transfers.
It leaves Alonso inheriting a team low on confidence, operating under financial constraints and facing wider personnel challenges.
Chelsea are keen to learn lessons from this season and have been impressed by Alonso's knowledge, leadership, emotional intelligence and values.
They also value his trophy pedigree and ability to work collaboratively within an established structure.
It's a very different group of players and structure to the one at Real Madrid, where Alonso's seven-month tenure ended in January after a falling out with several key players including Kylian Mbappe.
There are not the same Galactico names at Stamford Bridge, but key players like Marc Cucurella and Enzo Fernandez criticised the club during Rosenior's tenure as he lost large parts of the dressing room, particularly among the Spanish speakers.
It's something Alonso will have to reflect upon, but sources close to several players have expressed excitement about his appointment.
Perhaps significantly, the Spaniard has been appointed "manager" rather than "head coach" to reflect his seniority within a partnership involving key figures at the club, as they seek to rebuild after a turbulent campaign that led to the managerial departures of Enzo Maresca and Rosenior.
That is not to say Alonso will make every decision.
Chelsea have five sporting directors with defined responsibilities, and player recruitment will be conducted in collaboration with him and those figures, "tweaking" the need to add experience with long-term planning.
There will also need to be alignment on significant outgoings, especially if Chelsea fail to make Europe.
Alonso is known to be excited by the squad, but both parties know it still needs to be improved over the summer, with the Blues known to be targeting a centre-back, midfielder and forward at minimum.
There is also an acknowledgement within the club of past mistakes and it must work with Alonso - a former midfielder with Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich - to become the winning team they, and the fans, expect them to be.
Chelsea are also facing cultural issues that continue to undermine progress. These were brought into focus by a protest march involving around 200 fans on Wembley Way on Saturday.
There is a growing disconnect between supporters and the club, as well as fans and players. In some cases, there are also divisions within the squad and between players and the wider organisation.
One contributing factor, as influential co-owner Behdad Eghbali has acknowledged, "getting that stability on the manager side is one of the things we haven't done right yet".
The hope is someone of Alonso's status and authority can help address that, reinforcing the club's ambition and improving communication with both players and supporters.
On the pitch, he will be tasked with improving the team mentally, physically and tactically. Questions have been asked about the squad's mentality, with accusations of players "downing tools" this term, having the worst disciplinary record in the division, and a poor record in key matches.
That includes a 14-game winless run against Manchester City and seven consecutive defeats in domestic cup finals.
Physically, Chelsea have been outperformed by opponents, having covered less distance than any other team in the Premier League this season, aside from a single exception at Anfield in the 1-1 draw against Liverpool last weekend.
Defensively, problems under Maresca earlier in the campaign evolved into wider issues at both ends of the pitch under Rosenior, whose six-game losing run without scoring ultimately led to his exit.
It was a closely fought match against Pep Guardiola's side, but interim boss Calum McFarlane was left bemoaning the fact "football can be cruel", believing his side deserved at least one penalty.
He added: "It's a really talented group - there's lots of quality. The fight and heart have been questioned at times, but in the last two performances I don't think you can question that."
There is quality, but plenty of work still to be done. Chelsea have a furious fanbase and gone from Maresca, Rosenior, McFarlane and now to Alonso in five months.
It's an ownership under scrutiny and Alonso has much to do, and a tough task in trying to bring it all together.
Source: BBC
Related Posts: Maresca leaves Chelsea after turbulent end to 2025 Xabi Alonso, The Next Chelsea Boss Xabi Alonso to Chelsea sealed as Blues prepare official announcement Fed faces turbulent 2026 as Powell's term ends India-Africa partnership will be message of stability in turbulent world Ties with India witness a downturn as Bangladesh navigates turbulent 2025 Mohsin Naqvi Offers To Hand Over Asia Cup 2025 Trophy To India On THIS Date Global Chess League Championship Trophy unveiled in Mumbai as season 3 kicks off Courtois stands by Xabi Alonso amid sacking rumours Under-fire Alonso says Real Madrid situation can
Pati Patni Aur Woh Do box office collection day 2: Ayushmann Khurrana film shows spike; collects over ₹9 crorePati Patni Aur Woh Do box office collection day 2: How Mudassar Aziz's Ayushmann Khurrana, Wamiqa Gabbi, Sara Ali Khan and Rakul Preet Singh-starrer is faring. May 17, 2026
3 minutes ago
The Union government on Saturday imposed restrictions on silver imports, moving several categories of the metal from the “free” to the “restricted” category. This means that the imports will now require authorisation from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of
3 minutes ago
Gujarat Titans skipper Shubman Gill pointed to dropped catches as the reason for their 29-run defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders. The team's fielding faltered, allowing KKR to post a massive 247. Finn Allen capitalized with a blistering 93
3 minutes ago
The star's directorial debut Propeller One-Way Night Coach has premiered at Cannes - and one critic dubbed it a 'disaster'. It's the latest example of an A-lister heading behind the camera with baffling results. At the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday night, the festival's dapper organiser
Just now
Trinamool Congress’ Rajganj candidate Swapna Barman on Friday alleged that unknown miscreants set fire to her house in Jalpaiguri. The fire, which broke out at about 8 pm, was doused and no one was inside the house during the incident, The Indian Express Bengali quoted the police as saying
1 days ago
After a heavy West Bengal poll defeat, Mamata Banerjee tells TMC candidates to rebuild the party, says members are free to leave. After the Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered a massive defeat in the West Bengal assembly elections, party supremo Mamata Banerjee appealed to the candidates who fought
1 days ago
A video showing a man allegedly cutting part of a structural column from the balcony of a high-rise apartment has sparked shock and concern online. The clip, filmed from another building nearby, shows workers standing on the sixth floor of a tall residential tower while carrying out the risky task
1 days ago
What is Captagon and why is it called ‘Jihadi drug’? ExplainedCaptagon is the common street name historically associated with Fenethylline, a synthetic stimulant drug originally developed in the 1960s. Updated on: May 16, 2026 1:58 PM IST By Prawesh Lama | Edited by Shivam Pratap Singh Share
1 days ago
Chief Justice Surya Kant on Friday described some unemployed youngsters as “cockroaches”, saying that they go on to become social media or Right to Information Act activists and start attacking the “system”, PTI reported. The remarks were made when a bench of Kant and Justice Joymalya
1 days ago
Indian naval ship arrives in Sri Lanka for operational deploymentIndian naval ship arrives in Sri Lanka for operational deployment Published on: May 16, 2026 12:53 PM IST PTI Share via Copy link Colombo, Indian Naval Ship Sunayna has arrived at the port of Colombo for a three-day visit as part of
1 days ago
A dual-income techie has gone viral online after opening up about their fears of buying a Rs 1.7 crore flat at a time when layoffs and hiring slowdowns continue to haunt the IT sector. The discussion began after a software developer shared a detailed post on Reddit
1 days ago
JioHotstar has officially unveiled the OTT release date of Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge, confirming the arrival of its ‘Raw and Undekha’ version in India with a grand digital premiere on June 4 at 7 PM. The film, starring Ranveer Singh, will begin streaming on JioHotstar from June 5, 2026
1 days ago
Chennai, May 16 (PTI) Aryaveer Dewan will spearhead India’s challenge at the Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships to be held in Panzhihua, China later this month. Dewan, who clinched the U-17 boys’ title last year, will move up to the U-19 category this time and enter the tournament
1 days ago
HR calls out colleague, management in resignation email over employee treatmentAn HR professional’s instant resignation email slamming toxic management and a colleague has sparked a massive discussion online. Updated on: May 16, 2026 1:13 PM IST By Trisha Sengupta Share via Copy link A LinkedIn
1 days ago
If you thought kheer could only be made with milk and sugar, this viral desi twist is here to surprise you. A unique version of India’s beloved dessert—Sugarcane Juice Kheer—is making waves online, with food lovers calling it the perfect blend of tradition and innovation
1 days ago
'Bindaas aaram karo': Manager offers 2-day period leave to female employee, internet dividedA WhatsApp chat between a manager and a newly joined female employee about period leave has divided the internet. Updated on: May 16, 2026 1:41 PM IST By Bhavya Sukheja Share via Copy link A manager’s
1 days ago
How well do you know your Indian single malts? In 2024, they surpassed imported malt sales for the first time, while distillers picked up major international awards and expanded a category once dismissed as a tropical novelty. In March 2026, John Distilleries’ Master Distiller Michael D’Souza
1 days ago
Buenos Aires (Argentina), May 16 (AP) At 6 a.m., in the Mataderos neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, workers unload sides of beef from a truck outside a butcher shop as customers line up for wholesale purchases. Inside, 73-year-old owner Jorge García and his staff prepare meat orders before dawn
1 days ago
Is Iran hacking US fuel systems? Cyber breaches hit gas station tank monitors across states, says reportHackers reportedly compromised automatic tank gauge (ATG) systems that were connected to the internet without password protection. Updated on: May 16
1 days ago
Indian hockey has been rocked by yet another safeguarding controversy, with a member of the India U-18 men’s coaching staff removed from camp following allegations of sexual misconduct. According to multiple reports, support staff member Sudhir Golla was asked to leave the Indian setup in Bhopal
1 days ago
Step inside Rajeev Khandelwal’s stunning triplex Mumbai home with earthy interiors and cosy cornersHere’s a sneak peek into Rajeev Khandelwal’s Mumbai triplex featuring chic interiors, warm lighting and stylish décor. Published on: May 16, 2026 1:56 PM IST By Anukriti Srivastava Share via
1 days ago
Climate Change crisis: IMD to change parameters to declare heatwavesClimate Change crisis: IMD to change parameters to declare heatwaves Updated on: May 16, 2026 1:37 PM IST PTI Share via Copy link Thiruvananthapuram, The IMD, along with its technical partners
1 days ago
, the state cybercrime department, has initiated action against the alleged illegal operations of across the state and issued notices to to remove applications facilitating unauthorised bike taxi operations, according to a report by The on Friday
1 days ago
Booked for the screen: Upcoming movies and web series adapted from bestsellersRanveer Singh might not be seen as Lord Shiva in the film adaptation of The Immortals of Meluha. But these stories from books are headed to your screen Published on: May 16
1 days ago
Social media CEOs once again are being called to testify before the Senate in light of mounting legal and public pressure to protect young users on their platforms. The leaders of Meta, Alphabet, TikTok and Snap were invited to testify next month before the Senate Judiciary Committee
1 days ago
The Election Commission has ordered a probe into allegations of foreign nationals voting in the Tamil Nadu Assembly election. Police arrested ten foreign nationals attempting to fly out after noticing indelible ink on their fingers. These individuals, from Sri Lanka, the UK, and Canada
1 days ago
Don't miss out on muskmelon this summer: Fortis Delhi gastroenterologist shares its health benefitsMuskmelon is an underrated fruit that provides multiple health benefits in summer, explains Dr Shubham Vatsya. Updated on: May 16, 2026 1:46 PM IST By Debapriya Bhattacharya Share via Copy link Summer
1 days ago
