The full transcript from Xabi Alonso's pre-match press conference with the Chelsea manager previewing the Blues' Premier League fixture with Hull City this weekend
Xabi Alonso
Xabi Alonso speaks during a Chelsea press conference(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
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Xabi Alonso has taken his pre-match press conference ahead of Chelsea's Premier League fixture with Hull City on Saturday afternoon.
Alonso spoke to a room full of reporters on Friday afternoon and provided an update on the fitness of Moises Caicedo (see below), while also reflecting on what was a chaotic 6-3 victory for the Blues over Leeds United earlier in the week.
The Spaniard has also been looking ahead to matchday four of the Premier League season with Hull the visitors to Stamford Bridge. It has been a fantastic start to the campaign for the newly-promoted Tigers, who go into the weekend third in the table with no goals conceded in their opening three fixtures.
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Alonso has previewed his Chelsea side's latest challenge. And here is every word the Blues manager had to say.
Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers are still arguing over who deserved the Player of the Match award vs Leeds. Can you settle the debate?
For me it's good that both feel entitled to this award. For sure both are enjoying themselves playing with the team, playing with each other, enjoying when the other one makes good things for the team. And we were expecting that, but so happy that it is happening and that early days we have a good partnership there as well. With Joao linking with them, it's a strength that we have.
How much do you feel like their strong relationship off the pitch is helping them connect on the pitch?
I would say a lot, because even before playing together they were so connected. For sure we were following this connection to happen for a few weeks before the transfer did happen. And Cole was very influential and he played an important role, Morgan as well, the club as well. We are happy that this has come to where it is right now.
Has Morgan exceeded your expectations in terms of how quickly he's settled in here?
He's adapted quite well, very quick. For sure it was a target and it was a strategic decision on us that we got a few players that were ready to compete and ready to have an instant impact in the team. Morgan was for sure the top one and we were expecting that, but for sure the way it has happened it's been great. He's feeling great, he's enjoying his game, his football, his connection with the team.
The Hull City manager joked that the only way to stop your front line is by kicking them. At your very best, do you think that your front line could be impossible to defend against?
Let's not talk about those big words. Impossible in football is too big a word. We face tomorrow's game with the same respect we did last week against Arsenal. They are seven points, no goals conceded. They will be hard to beat. They have their weapons as well, with transitions and set pieces. They have the belief that the coach is doing a great job. So it's going to be hard and we'll have to be at our best to beat Hull tomorrow.
You've spoken about wanting to be more solid and balanced. Can you remain as good going forward whilst tightening up defensively?
That's the goal. This is the focus, this is the work, this is the process. We want to be more competitive, to be as good or even better in attack, because I think there is room for improvement. And to have the balance, to feel solid as well and to feel strong in defence. We want not to concede that many goals and that's the work of everyone, from the strikers to the goalkeeper.
Is Moises Caicedo likely to be available tomorrow?
No, not yet. Let's see for Brentford, but unluckily not at the moment to take risks with him. Not yet, we are not there yet.
And finally, it looks like there soon could be a change in the ownership structure of the club. What do you know about that and would you expect any change to impact your working environment and the way you work?
I'm not the guy to give you information about those things. Nothing that I have, not on my knowledge. I'm working fine, I'm very happy with how things are working together, aligned. And this is, at the moment, all I can say.
Are Marco Palestra, Emmanuel Emegha and Jordan Henderson available?
No. No, no, no.
Your lack of possession: how much of that is how you want to play and how much is it forced by the opposition?
I like to have the mindset to adapt, to compete. We have a clear that it's going to be hard each game and the context of each game is different. We have scored so well in all the games. We will have to change, for sure, our approach of the game. But knowing that we are in the process of many things, I think that we are still in the early days to know what this team, for sure, is going to be. I think that we will develop many things. We will develop when important players are joining and they are able to play. We are having this feeling that we are competing well, but there are some things that we can do better, for sure.
Is possession a key part of what you were saying earlier, like trying to keep goals out?
It's a key part, but for me the key part is to create chances, to have chances to win games, not to concede that many chances. Sometimes, for sure, with the ball you can control better, but sometimes you need to be able to feel that you are controlling when you have the ball, because the opponents are good and the context and the competition is really hard.
When the fixtures came out in June, you saw you were playing Hull in the fourth game. Would you have expected they would have been ahead of you?
Why not? Why not? They deserve to be where they are. They played against United, Coventry and against Villa and they have done it really well. They have shown that they have built a very clear idea of what they want, how they want to compete with players that were already there last year, a few other players that came new, but the mentality is that they want to fight with everything to get the goal. I guess that is to stay in the Premier League. They are doing well and tomorrow is the chance for us to try to beat them, first one in the league.
As a result, their manager was named Premier League Manager of the Month. As a manager who is also new to this league, what kind of job is he doing do you feel? How impressive is it?
Not just this year, for me to get a promotion from Championship to Premier League is a big, big success. Well done for this award, but very well done from the promotion from last year and what they are doing is great. Tomorrow we are prepared, we are ready. There is not going to be complacency from us. We have full respect for them and we know that it will be hard to beat them. If we do things well, if we complete and play at our level, I think we will have a good chance.
You mentioned that Cole Palmer was influential in bringing Morgan Rogers to the club in some way. In your career as a player, did you ever have an influence over another player coming to a club you were at?
Probably, but not as much as Cole [laughs].
When are Henderson and Emegha going to be available?
Not tomorrow, we hope that they can be for Brentford and we will see. Maybe for next week we have the same.
Is Romeo Lavia okay?
Yes.
Pedro Neto, what have you made of him since working with him? He has been playing as a wing-back and does he act as an example to the other wingers?
For me he is a winger, you can call him a winger or wing-back because he has many qualities. He can play on the last line, he can defend on the first line so he has this capacity to do many things. He is good in 1v1, he is scoring goals, he has a fantastic work-rate. He connects very well with the players around. I knew him well from watching many games from Chelsea. With him you know that he is going to compete and you want this kind of players in your team. I am very happy with Pedro and the work he is doing.
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