Xabi Alonso has touched down at Cobham to begin his tenure as Chelsea manager, outlining his plans in a lengthy first interview with the club's in-house media team. Pre-season preparations are already underway, with a first match against Tottenham in Australia just over three weeks away.
'Chelsea are on the path to success'
Alonso addressed concerns about Chelsea's long-term project under Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, insisting he sees considerable potential in his squad. "That we share a feeling we are doing things the right way and that we are on the right path to success. We know that success is a consequence of good work, of quality decisions, of the good culture that we want to build. That's the beauty of such a complex but nice process with so many people involved. The potential of the team and the squad made me very excited," he said.
'Intrapersonal connection crucial to success'
Before taking his first pre-season training session, Alonso emphasized building 'human connections' to help his squad gel quickly. "The [facilities at Cobham are] great but you need to give it the soul. You need to give it purpose, you need to bring a good work, a good energy, positiveness, that we are in a nice place to work, and now we have all the ingredients for that. [On Thursday] I will be with the guys and you start creating connection, the human connections, for them to feel good, and when you feel good normally you perform good," he explained.
'My players cannot hold anything back'
Alonso outlined non-negotiables for his squad, calling on them to build a strong culture after questions about togetherness last season. "For me, there are football principles that are unnegotiable. To feel passion for what you do. In football you need to be willing to pay all the prices to compete on the highest level. So you can't hold back anything. You need to give everything you have for the benefit of the team, and the team is always the most important thing," he stated. "We need to create that culture. We want to share that belief that good things will come if we are together and we create this strength, this power that the club has. It has to come from us to bring this energy, but together we can achieve great things in the coming years."
'I need the team to feel my passion'
Raised in a passionate football household, Alonso wants his squad to match his energy. "I loved and lived for football, I was born and raised around football, so it is in my veins. That's something I did as a player and now as a coach, and I want to transmit that to the team, I want to transmit that to the players, the hunger to be better, to be competitive, to feel that wherever we go we can win. I was doing this as a player and now I am enjoying doing that on the sidelines," he said.
'Stamford Bridge debut is marked in my calendar'
Alonso's full pre-season programme will take place in Asia and Oceania, with his home debut potentially against Brighton on August 30 or in a Carabao Cup match. "I will feel goosebumps for sure. Those days, they are special. When you are in the new home you want to perform good. So that day, it will be in the Carabao or against Brighton, but you want to have that feeling from the first day and that's marked in our calendars. We will get ready for that but the stadium is, it can create this heat. It works both ways. We need to create that bond to feel that when we play at home, we are strong," he concluded.
