Although announced as the new Chelsea manager in mid-May, Xabi Alonso finally spoke to the media for the first time on Monday 13 July.
Here are a few lines that might be of interest to Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers…
The most important characteristics that players need to thrive under Alonso:
“We need to have hunger, we need to have the passion for the game. We need to want to improve; the Premier League is such a competitive competition, and for that we need to prepare ourselves, we need to be really, really determined in the details and be really strong on our basics, how we want to play. We will have time for that, but those are the most important pillars in our game.”
On whether he wants to keep Enzo Fernandez, who has been linked with a move away
“Yes.”
On Cole Palmer
“We have had a few training [sessions] already and from the first day you can see he is a special talent, he is a special player. It is not easy to have one of those and you can notice his quality, how he is able to play the right decision in the right spot, so I am happy that he has come in in a good mood, in a good mindset to have a great season, and we are really looking forward to getting the best from him.
“If we are able to build a strong team with the proper stability to find the key players, [then] for sure, Cole is going to be one of those key players in the attacking part.”
When asked about right-sided defensive signing Marco Palestra, and his adaptation to Premier League life:
“He is a player that gives you versatility in his positioning, playing in a back four, in a back five, even. Sometimes he has played on the left, physically really strong. We need to keep working with him in his development in the adaptation to the Premier League but I am pretty sure and I am positive that it won’t take a lot of time. He has a very good mentality in terms of competitiveness, in terms of this hunger to improve.
“He has already been training, and we are really looking forward to getting the best from him.”
Alonso on whether he already knows if Chelsea will use a back five or back four system:
“Yes, for sure, I have things in mind – this is my job! For sure, we want to be active, we want to be brave, we want to play good football, we want to compete well, but above that we need a good mentality.
“It will be a process, for sure, but we want to show that we are ready to go. Once we are getting closer to the start of the season, we will reassure that with all the players, but so far this is going to be key.”
On the World Cup disrupting his pre-season preparations:
“It was already in the plan, so it is not a big surprise that at this stage we still have some players [at the World Cup]. I am happy for them because what they are living is an unforgettable experience. Hopefully, at the end, we will have a world champion when they come back to Cobham and we will celebrate that, but we adapt and we have to be flexible in that situation. We will have to speed up the preparation with some players, but it is going to happen.”
The future of Alejandro Garnacho, who wasn’t at Alonso’s first training session:
“The situation, we have spoken with the sports directors, and there is an interest for him from other clubs. So let’s see how it develops. But hopefully it finishes in the best possible way for all parties.”
The future of Nicolas Jackson, back from a loan spell at Bayern Munich:
“He is joining the [pre-season] tour that we are starting in Asia, and I am looking forward to starting with Nico at that time.”
