Xabi Alonso, the newly appointed manager of Chelsea, has outlined his vision for turning the club around, emphasizing the importance of establishing rigorous daily standards, fostering a unified squad, and eliminating the practice of isolating players. Speaking from the Stamford Bridge directors' lounge, Alonso stated his intention to build a team with the "right mentality, the right hunger, the right standards" on a consistent basis.
Alonso, who took over from Enzo Maresca, acknowledged that he was not present to judge past performance but stressed that his focus is on daily improvement. He indicated a desire to reinforce the squad with "a few signings" to achieve competitive consistency. Alonso confirmed alignment with the club's sporting directors on the necessary football and squad decisions required to build a successful team.
He also addressed player discipline, a known issue from the previous season, and hinted at the importance of leadership within the squad. While declining to comment on specific transfer rumors, such as a potential interest in Granit Xhaka, Alonso expressed that decisions regarding player acquisitions and squad composition are being carefully assessed.
Chelsea's new manager aims to instill a strong professional ethos, stating, "I’m not a general, but I’m a good professional, and I know what it takes to be a good professional. Those are the standards we want for the whole building."
Alonso began pre-season training with players like Cole Palmer and Estevao Willian on Thursday. He expressed optimism about Palmer's potential, noting his desire to overcome past injuries and his capacity to be a "key player." Regarding the young talent Estevao, Alonso mentioned plans for careful progression, describing him as "a very talented player."
The manager also commented on the status of players returning from international duty, including those who reached the World Cup semi-finals. He confirmed that all players reporting for pre-season training would participate together. "They all train together. We want to assess the whole squad. There are still things to be decided and situations that can hopefully be solved. Everything takes time," Alonso stated, implicitly rejecting the notion of a "bomb squad" where players are made to train separately if their futures are uncertain.
When discussing tactics, Alonso indicated a preference for flexibility rather than adherence to a single formation, such as the successful 3-4-2-1 system he employed at Bayer Leverkusen. He highlighted the importance of "versatile players who are used to doing different things" to achieve balance and adaptability within the squad.
Alonso believes that with focused preparation and the right approach, Chelsea can achieve better results. "Once we are training, we are locked in, because that will raise our standards on a daily basis. I fully believe that the better we prepare, the better we will perform on the weekends," he concluded.