Xabi Alonso pleased as Chelsea learn from ‘useful’ test | OneFootball

Xabi Alonso believes Chelsea’s thrilling 6-4 victory over Western Sydney Wanderers will prove invaluable in the long run, with the Blues boss insisting the result was less important than the lessons his players learned during the contest.

Chelsea made a winning start to their pre-season tour of Australia in Alonso’s first game in charge. Dastan Satpayev opened the scoring before the hosts hit back with two goals, only for Dario Essugo to restore parity before the break. Jamie Gittens and a rapid nine-minute hat-trick from Joao Pedro helped Chelsea pull clear in an eventful second half.

Rather than focusing on the scoreline, Alonso highlighted the moments when his side struggled to cope with Western Sydney’s aggressive pressing and stressed the importance of finding solutions during matches.

“I think that this friendly is going to be useful for the future,” Alonso said after the game. “There were moments in the game that we were struggling to find solutions, and we need to have this experience.

“The positive is that we corrected them, but these moments of game management are something we can learn from today.”

Xabi Alonso reflects on Chelsea’s ‘useful’ pre-season victory

The Spaniard admitted Chelsea initially found it difficult to play through the Wanderers’ high press and wants his players to become more adaptable when similar situations arise during the season.

“When they were pressing so high, it was tough to find a solution from inside,” he explained. “We have to have a different understanding of what’s happening and try to make those changes in the game, as it’s something that will happen often.”

Alonso was also encouraged by the contributions from both experienced players and academy prospects, pointing to the value of giving youngsters opportunities alongside established first-team regulars.

“There were no injuries, the young players had a good experience, the senior players made a good impact and it was an exciting game for the fans as well,” he added.

One player who did not feature was Romeo Lavia. Alonso revealed the midfielder had felt discomfort in his hamstring before kick-off, prompting Chelsea to leave him out as a precaution. “He felt something in the hamstring,” Alonso said.

“Not a big thing and, hopefully, we are expecting him to be fit for Saturday. But there was no point in taking risks today.”

Read more – Alonso says Chelsea squad needs balance amid Welbeck and Henderson pursuits

See Also- Alonso ‘really impressed’ by Chelsea teenager Satpayev

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