Xabi Alonso has sensed 'good energy' at Chelsea as he begins his tenure as manager, though he remains cautious about setting specific goals for the upcoming season. The Spaniard, who officially started on July 1, will oversee his first competitive match on Tuesday in Sydney against Western Sydney Wanderers. Chelsea finished 10th last season and failed to qualify for European competitions, marking a decade since their last Premier League win under Antonio Conte.
Alonso, known for his success with Bayer Leverkusen, has brought in several new players, including Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa. 'We want to build a competitive team. We are in that process. We have great quality, great talent,' he said. '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, who briefly managed Real Madrid, plans to blend his tactical approach with the existing framework at Chelsea. 'We will be flexible in our tactics, in our approaches, game plans,' he noted. '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.'
Alonso signed a four-year contract and while the pressure is on to end Chelsea's Premier League title drought, he is focused on gradual development. '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. But so far, a good feeling, good energy. The players are working hard, and that's what we want.'
