Xabi Alonso is facing his first Chelsea crisis and it could lead to the unthinkable

There could have been a few flashbacks to the past for Xabi Alonso. A return to Anfield brought back some of the hostility and the chants from the mid-2000s, when Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez patrolled the technical areas, seeking to micromanage everything. Yet some of the issues the new Chelsea manager is experiencing have echoes of problems he encountered – some would say created – at Real Madrid.

Then a Brazilian teenager seemed to be marginalised by his manager. Then a Brazilian winger seemed unhappy with his manager. For both Endrick and Vinicius Junior at the Bernabeu, read Estevao at Stamford Bridge?

It can seem so, despite Alonso’s calm, matter-of-fact answers. “I understand his situation and that he could be happier, for sure,” he said. “Every player wants to play, wants to be part of the team.”

But Estevao has not been. Chelsea were knocked out of the Carabao Cup without him playing a minute in Wednesday’s loss to Liverpool. He has played a mere 47 minutes in the Premier League, an 18-minute outing against Tottenham on Saturday coming after cameos of seven, nine, four, three and six respectively.

“We know that the season is going to be long and there will be moments for everyone,” said Alonso. But Chelsea’s campaign, without European football and now with a lone domestic cup competition, will not be that long.

There have been chances to give Estevao more opportunities. When Joao Pedro – a case of a Brazilian who has flourished under Alonso – was injured, the Spaniard instead switched system, played a striker-less side and saw a team lacking much flair lose to Spurs. At Anfield, Andoni Iraola started with two of his young attackers, in Lewis Koumas and Rio Ngumoha.

Estevao was left on the bench at Anfield and Chelsea’s exit from the Carabao Cup may further reduce his opportunities to shine (AP)

Alonso took a different approach. “We have started with Pedro [Neto], with Danny [Welbeck] and with Morgan [Rogers] up front,” he replied, though Cole Palmer’s suspension had created one possible opening. Then Estevao was overlooked for each of their four changes: Alonso argued several were imposed upon him, with Maxence Lacroix going off before half-time, Moises Caicedo having a small problem and Malo Gusto cramp. “We were quite forced,” he said.

On a night, perhaps; over two-and-a-half months, however, a pattern is developing. There are several factors. The £117m signing of Rogers was one, his bromance with Palmer producing some spectacularly early performances. Chelsea appointed a manager whose greatest success, at Bayer Leverkusen, came with a 3-4-2-1 formation without wingers. The winger he does like, sometimes as a wing-back, is Neto. The Portuguese can be trusted to track back, to defend with as much speed as he attacks. Thus far, the 19-year-old Estevao cannot.

But he does have gifts that, but for a hamstring injury, might well have propelled him into the Brazil World Cup squad and the capacity to excite that rendered him a crowd favourite. Rewind a year, when Alonso was struggling with the issues of Endrick and Vinicius Junior, and Estevao was captivating the Chelsea faithful.

The teeanger shone in the Champions League last season but has so far struggled to get into Alonso’s side (Getty)

An injury-time winner against Liverpool last September the first of five goals in nine games. They included a starring role in a Champions League demolition of Ajax, culminating in a solo strike as Barcelona were beaten. Chelsea, it seemed, had got their next great entertainer. Certainly their fans felt so. They chorused his name at Anfield, a demonstration of dissent against Alonso, whose Liverpool past may mean it is harder to win them over.

It was a bruising encounter on Wednesday and for now the Basque argues the physicality of such matches are a reason why he is holding Estevao back. “The game in England is really intense,” he said. “You need to be up for it. Este has played, for sure, it's his second season. But he had the injury and he's in that process. Trust me, Este is going to play his role.”

If that is true, it may have to be elsewhere. Estevao is believed to be keen on a move in January. After a stunning rise, his career has stalled in the last few months. There could be a parallel in Endrick’s loan to Lyon last year. But Chelsea, with their own ambitions, may be reluctant to let him leave.

Chelsea and Estevao could be faced with a decision in January if his lack of game time continues (Getty)

Supporters definitely will be. An astonishing number of footballers have come and gone at Stamford Bridge in the Clearlake Capital era, some with few regrets when they headed to the exit. That can be part of the model, and Chelsea have often bought young.

But of all the teenagers they have recruited in their often bizarre recruitment drive, Estevao seemed the one world-class talent, a buy in the traditions of Palmer and Eden Hazard and Arjen Robben.

Now he is a bit-part player and, with Chelsea only playing one midweek match before Christmas, that may not change in the immediate future. “I'm sure that Este will have his moment,” Alonso countered. But when, where and in whose colours will that moment come?