The full transcript from Xabi Alonso's latest press conference after the Chelsea manager previewed his side's Carabao Cup third round tie with Leeds United
Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso speaking during a press conference(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
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Xabi Alonso has conducted his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's Carabao Cup third round tie with Leeds United tomorrow (Wednesday) night.
The Blues welcome their historic rivals to Stamford Bridge in what is set to be a thrilling League Cup encounter. After being beaten for the first time this season at Arsenal over the weekend, Alonso spoke about how his players have reacted, as well as providing the latest team news ahead of this week's cup tie.
That, and much more, is included in football.london's full transcript of the press conference.
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How do you feel about the performance vs Arsenal two days on?
Yeah, for sure. With time, you have a deeper analysis. You are able to settle down the emotions after the game. And till now, all the games, they have told us things. We have learned from them and from this game, a high-level game, that it was intense. There were different moments. But we have talked, we have shared our feelings, our sensations in the game and we have wrapped it for the future and the future is tomorrow. It's Leeds and that's the main focus at the moment.
And in terms of tomorrow, are Marco Palestra or Moises Caicedo likely to be involved?
No, not yet. Still not ready to go. Not the moment to take too early risk. So we go game by game with them and it's too early.
How frustrating has it been not to be able to use Marco so far?
Especially for him. He came with huge energy, huge desire to enjoy his game in the Premier League. He had a very good pre-season and right a few days before the first game against Fulham, he picked up an injury. But it's part of the life of a football player to come back from injury. But we will leave him for sure because he has great potential and he will add a lot of good qualities that we need for the team.
How's Levi Colwill doing?
He's okay. He's okay for tomorrow.
You named a very strong side for the last game against Luton. How are you looking to approach this game when it comes to your selection tomorrow?
We always assess everything. Where are we coming from, where are we going. We try to take all the games, all the cups very seriously and we will, where we are, have the best possible team.
What have been your early impressions of Valentin Barco?
He's a competitor. You see he has this heart, this Argentinian heart that he's a fighter. He's very good with the ball. He's very open to adapt quick but he's intelligent. So when he has this mentality and this intelligence, I think that it's easier to have a better impact and he's doing that well.
What more do you need to see from him so that he gets opportunities in big moments?
It's true, just three games in the Premier League, one game in the cup that we have had. So it's still early days for everything. For each player, for the team, many things will develop. Many things will be happening. So there will be chances for everyone. He's patient, he's intelligent, knowing that he has taken a big, a very important step coming from Strasbourg. Now that the competition is great, he's good but he's ready for the challenge.
There was a report from Brazil saying Estevao Willian isn't happy with his lack of minutes at the moment. Has he expressed that to you?
No, Este is ready, he's training well. The other day he had a very good impact, he has a great chance. So he's fully involved and with a very good attitude every day.
Do you feel like he's got an important role to play this season?
Yeah, with Este, 100% because of his potential, because he's so young but he's in that process to adapt and to learn quick. And the season is going to be long.
Have you sat down with Estevao and had a chat with him?
You know, private conversations, they should remain private. But the season is going to be long. And the players that they have the desire and the hunger to prove and to show every day that they are up for the challenge, it's what we want to create here in the building. And Este is part of it. So he has had a very good attitude, very good mentality to prepare every game and to be ready for the team.
As you said, the season is long, but there's no European football. So how important are these cup competitions to stay in them a long time, to give players opportunities?
No, we need everyone involved. The more people you have involved in the team and the more people they feel that they are part of playing minutes, the better it is for the level of players, even for the ones that they play more. I think that it's important that we use all of them, that they have this feeling. And so far, every day, the dynamic is very, very good.
And with Moises Caicedo, do you know when he's going to be back for Saturday, potentially? I mean, how bad is the injury?
Potentially, yes. But we need to wait and probably Thursday, Friday, we'll know more.
Are you further ahead than you expected to be at this stage? Because obviously you've only been here three months or so...
We know that it's going to be a long process, but you need to be assessing how are things going. And so far, I think that we can be happy, but we need to be self-demanding as well, that we can do better. But there are other parts that we can't afford to have so much time, that we need to improve. For sure, we want to have as many clean sheets as quick as possible. And that's going to be an issue for every game, knowing that the competition is hard. But we are taking steps, but there are still lots of steps to be taken.
Do you think you need the fans just to remain a bit patient, especially as you say, on keeping clean sheets?
They will come, I'm 100% sure they will come. So we need to work, we need to improve the areas that we can do better. And other areas that we are doing well, trying to emphasise on those parts. But we are learning a lot from, I am learning myself, from the players, from the team, from the opponents, from the Premier League. We are being part of the development. If this is not even close to a final product of this Chelsea, I'm sure that, and I've said probably in the press conference, the Chelsea that we started in August, and the Chelsea of even January or even in May, it will be different and it will be a much better one.
Do Jordan Henderson and Emmanuel Emegha have a chance to feature tomorrow?
No, not yet.
How far away are they, do you think?
How far? Ask me on Friday. Ask me on Friday.
Arsenal are very good at the dark arts in football and we saw that on Sunday. Is that something that needs to be brought into this team?
Checking the many things during the game, there were moments, so I mean there's not time to analyse too much, but adapting and knowing what it takes from your primary, for sure physicality is very important. We try to analyse many of the datas of the game, but having context always. So that adaptation to this tempo of these games is very important for some players. Some players they have already done it and the approach and the profile of the squad we want and the team that we want needs to cope with that tempo as well.
Does the group need to become meaner?
We want to compete. I don't know, 'meaner', or whatever, but we want to compete because that's the best way to win games. You need to adapt to compete and it comes in two ways. It comes in the football way and it comes in the spirit and mentality side and in everything we can get better. Yeah, because they need that tomorrow night against Leeds, don't they? Because Leeds is going to be quite a rivalry game. Tomorrow we are expecting a very, very intense game, very tough, very many situations of duels, but we need to try to cope with that, find solutions and know that this is going to be an important game tomorrow.