Chelsea continued their preseason tour with a tense 6-4 comeback victory over Australian side Western Sydney Wanderers, but manager Xabi Alonso made it clear that the result was only part of the story. The Spaniard stressed that his players still have plenty to improve before the start of the new season.
Alonso said: “Everyone has to learn. Everyone. It doesn’t matter if you are young, if you are more experienced. This is what happens in the game. This is the quality that you need. You can be quick, you can be good at dribbling, but you need to have this game intelligence to do the things. And we will need to do it quick, because the competition is in just a month, and we want to get ready for that. But we need to manage that. That’s so important in football nowadays.”
Despite scoring six goals, Chelsea also conceded four times, something Alonso will look to address before the competitive campaign begins. With only a month remaining until the new season, the manager emphasized that his squad must improve quickly in several areas.
Alonso addresses Chelsea’s transfer plans
Chelsea continue to be linked with several players before the transfer window closes, including experienced Premier League names Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck. The Blues are looking to add balance to the squad as Alonso prepares for his first competitive season in charge.
Henderson can add some very valuable experience to the team (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
The club have been connected with a number of potential signings in recent weeks, but Alonso avoided discussing specific transfer targets. Instead, he focused on building a balanced squad capable of competing throughout the season.
see also
Chelsea want Jordan Henderson as Danny Welbeck and Eric Garcia emerge as targets
Alonso said: “I’m sure that from today to the last day of the transfer window there will be a lot of links, a lot of rumors, so to be commenting on all of them, it’s going to be a hard task. But for sure, we need proper balance in terms of qualities, in terms of positions, in terms of balance. We want to have a complete squad and we want to make a good team.”
Alonso hails Joao Pedro after hat trick
One of the biggest positives for Chelsea was Joao Pedro, who scored a hat trick in just nine minutes during the victory. The Brazilian continued his impressive form and gave Alonso another reason to be optimistic ahead of the new season.
Alonso said: “Very hungry. João is really, really determined to have a great season. He wants to, after a great last year, when he scored many goals. He wants to keep scoring more and more.”
