‘Good Energy’ at Chelsea as Alonso Kickstarts Reign in Sydney

New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso stated on Monday that there is "good energy" at the club as he takes on the task of revitalizing their fortunes. The Spaniard officially started his role on July 1 and will manage his first competitive match in Sydney against the Western Sydney Wanderers.

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We want to build a competitive team. We are in that process. We have great quality, great talent.

Alonso faces a considerable challenge to bring Chelsea back into contention for major trophies. The team finished a disappointing 10th in the league last season and failed to qualify for European competitions. Their last Premier League title was won a decade ago.

Despite the uphill battle, Alonso expressed optimism about the team's current state. He has overseen several pre-season signings, including Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa. "We want to build a competitive team. We are in that process. We have great quality, great talent," Alonso said. "We need to know what it takes to compete in the Premier League, and we want to have a squad with the right balance between quality and mentality."

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But I think that we are starting the new season with good energy, that's going to be important.

The former Liverpool and Spain midfielder gained prominence for his successful tenure at Bayer Leverkusen, leading them to an unbeaten German league and cup double in the 2023-24 season. He plans to implement a flexible tactical approach at Chelsea, drawing on his experience while adapting to the existing team structure. "It's not that I'm changing everything. It's about updating. It's about developing something that they have done with new concepts that each manager has," he explained.

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We will be flexible in our tactics, in our approaches, game plans.

Alonso, who signed a four-year contract, acknowledged the pressure to end the club's decade-long Premier League drought but refrained from setting specific goals for the season. "I don't want to talk too early about what's our goal," he said. "We want to deserve to be as high as possible, and for that we need to work hard. We need to develop this team with new players, with new ideas, but sometimes it takes longer, sometimes it happens quicker."

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It's not that I'm changing everything. It's about updating. It's about developing something that they have done with new concepts that each manager has.