Former Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta believes Xabi Alonso and his squad can overcome the pressure of having to win.

Azpilicueta, who spent three seasons at La Liga sides Atletico Madrid and Sevilla after leaving Stamford Bridge in 2023, announced his retirement from football at the end of last season.

After 20 seasons of senior football in his career, the 37-year-old is understandably not in any rush to get back to football jobs any time soon.

Speaking to the BBC, he admitted: “At the moment I have another commitment, which is my family. I want to play some golf and enjoy life.

“For 20 years I was constantly travelling, playing and preparing for seasons. This summer looked completely different.”

Having made a total of 508 appearances across 11 years at Chelsea, the sixth-highest in the club’s all-time list, Azpilicueta remains a Blues supporter.

“I left Chelsea, but Chelsea will always stay in my heart,” he explained.

“I follow every game, and I hope the club comes back to where it belongs.”

Azpilicueta promised that he would return to west London in the future, although he jokingly made it clear that he is retired.

“I will come back one day. I won't be putting on my boots, though.”

It has been almost a decade since Chelsea last won the Premier League in the 2016/17 season under Antonio Conte and over eight years since their last domestic cup (FA Cup in 2018).

The club have still won the UEFA Champions League (2021), the UEFA Conference League (2025), and the FIFA Club World Cup (2025) since then, but this season, Chelsea only compete in domestic competitions after the disappointing end to last season.

Alonso is now in charge of a squad that arguably has what it takes to challenge for trophies, and Azpilicueta said that is what the fans would expect.

“At a big club like Chelsea, the demands are high. But I think that's normal,” the former Spain international argued.

“It should be demanding and ambitious because, speaking as a Chelsea fan, you always want to see the club winning trophies.

“I have confidence that Xabi, the staff, and the players will do good work. Hopefully they can bring a lot of happiness to the fans.”

Azpilicueta also added that he has been keeping an eye on his successor Reece James, whom he believes will grow into a better captain and leader for Chelsea following the arrivals of veterans such as Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck over the summer.

Despite the underwhelming start to the season as Chelsea sit 10th in the Premier League table, the Blues remain in the race for Champions League spots and are not exactly out of the conversation for the title.

They are also still in the running for the Carabao Cup, with a big fourth-round fixture against Liverpool on October 28 approaching.

Before that, Chelsea will have to focus their attention on the next three Premier League fixtures against Bournemouth (October 10), Everton (October 17), and Tottenham Hotspur (October 24).

The match against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon is the club’s return to action after the extended international break. They will look to bounce back after the disappointing 3-0 defeat to Brentford before the break.