Chelsea's mood under Xabi Alonso laid bare ahead of Fulham Premier League opener

In the weird and mysterious ways that football sometimes works, Real Madrid's two managers from last season go head-to-head in a West London Derby this evening.

After Los Blancos, in typical style, decided not to continue with Xabi Alonso less than eight months into his tenure at the Santiago Bernabeu, the Spanish giants went with Alvaro Arbeloa until the end of last season. In Real's 'Comunicado Oficial', the La Liga side never confirmed the length of Arbeloa's contract but many felt it was always set to be a deal until the end of the campaign - and so it proved.

Arbeloa left the Spanish capital earlier in the summer and has since taken over as the new head coach of Fulham on a three-year contract. Having only managed Real Madrid's first-team side for a few months and a spell with their 'B' side, Arbeloa comes into his first Premier League managerial job as something of an unknown quantity.

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New Chelsea manager Alonso knows plenty about Arbeloa, though. The two first became close friends when Arbeloa joined Liverpool as a player way back in 2007. Alonso had been with the Reds, managed by Rafael Benitez then, since the summer of 2004.

The Spaniards developed a close friendship during their time together at Anfield. Alonso even followed Arbeloa to Real Madrid in the summer of 2009. Once both had retired from playing, Alonso and Arbeloa enrolled into Real's academy coaching system.

The pair's careers are so bizarrely intertwined that it comes as no real shock that it is Arbeloa vs Alonso and Fulham vs Chelsea in the west London teams' Premier League opener tonight. They have shared some special memories both on and off the pitch together, none more so than being in the Spain squad in that infamous, trophy-laden 2008-2012 era, but all of that goes out of the window at Craven Cottage.

"Of course you can have a relation, but once on the pitch, no friends, no past," said a stern Alonso on coming up against Arbeloa. "It's just the 90 minutes that we are playing, fighting for each club and after it's another thing."

For Chelsea, tonight's game feels like a long time coming. The countdown started 99 days ago. The Blues had just been beaten by Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley - and that was supposed to be the main story. Though it was somewhat overshadowed when news broke that Chelsea had chosen Alonso as their new manager on a four-year contract at Stamford Bridge.

After a "period of self-reflection" from the Chelsea owners and sporting directors following the sacking of Liam Rosenior in April, the Blues took their time in a considered process before opting with the impressive Alonso.

Ever since, Alonso has impressed everyone involved at Chelsea. The players have taken to the Spaniard's hands-on approach in training sessions and one source described the mood at the training ground as 'the best it has been for a while'.

Supporters are undivided on Alonso. And that is rare among Chelsea fans, particularly in BlueCo's tenure . His ovation during this month's pre-season friendly win over Real Sociedad, where the Spaniard was unveiled to the Stamford Bridge faithful for the first time, told you just that.

Seven-and-a-half months on from Chelsea's last visit to Craven Cottage, where incoming head coach Rosenior watched on from the stands before taking charge later in the week, the night finished with an overriding feeling of scepticism.

Going into this evening, the feeling could not be any more contrasting from a Chelsea perspective. Alonso is Chelsea's messiah and tonight, the countdown stops.

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