Alonso: João Félix available tomorrow but not for Brazil? It's possible.

On September 19 at 3:00 AM Beijing time (CEST), Chelsea will face Brentford away in the 5th round of the Premier League. Ahead of the match, Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso held a press conference. This article covers the first part of the press conference.

Hello Alonso, there has been a significant change in club ownership. Do you see this as a positive development?

Yes, when there is a significant change in the club's management structure and ownership, I think it's an important day for the club. There are several points I want to emphasize: First, I'm very grateful for the work done by the previous owners. Even though I wasn't here at that time, I know they played a crucial role.

Now that Behdad Eghbali has more control, almost complete control, I think it's a good thing to have a clear leader and central direction. My relationship with Behdad is very strong; he came personally to Madrid to explain the project and convince me to join Chelsea, and we've always worked very well together. As I mentioned before, this is the first phase of our team-building plan, and it has worked well. Now we will continue moving forward together.

The club's ambition is very clear. How confident are you that Chelsea will soon be competing for major trophies again?

That's why we're here: to work hard and get ourselves back in a competitive position to compete for titles, even though we know how fierce the competition is. But there's no doubt that the club's ambition, its enormous potential, the caliber of our players, and our current position—we know very well where we want to be. We know that restructuring and building anything takes time, but the ambition to reach that goal is very clear and unwavering.

What can you tell us about João Félix? He won't be playing for the Brazilian national team in the coming weeks...

Regarding injuries and the team's condition, we'll have our final training session before the match tomorrow, so no one has been completely ruled out for Friday's match yet. I prefer to be cautious, and we'll wait until tomorrow's training is complete before making final decisions about each player.

Can you confirm the specific nature of João's injury? Is there a possibility he could play for Chelsea against Brentford tomorrow but not represent Brazil afterward?

That possibility exists.

As for Moisés Caicedo, you previously said you hoped he could play this week. Is he getting closer to a return?

He is indeed getting closer to a return, and tomorrow we'll make the final decision on the full squad and who travels to Brentford.

Reece James didn't participate in the open training session we saw on Tuesday. Is there any concern about that?

No, it was just a specific adjustment made to Tuesday's training plan. We're monitoring his recovery progress closely and will make a decision tomorrow.

On a positive note, are Marco Guiu and Jordan Henderson getting closer to a return now? Could they be considered for selection tomorrow?

We'll make the final decision tomorrow... Sorry, my friend, I'm really sorry (laughs)! I keep repeating myself, but your questions are all the same! But before that, the players themselves know very well, and I think we need to assess all the decisions in this final training session. Tomorrow, we'll decide on the Brentford match.

So far, you've made quite a few adjustments to the defense in each Premier League match. What do you hope to see from the defense tomorrow? How do you ensure the defense stays more solid?

Well, defense is the collective responsibility of all 11 players, not just the four or five in the back line, regardless of formation. It's about the whole team, how we compete, and how we adapt to different phases of the game. Whether we're leading in a match or the match is tight, we must maintain the same competitive mentality to face different situations. We know it's very difficult to control all 90 minutes in the Premier League, but being able to adapt to the game and having the necessary sense of urgency and concentration is crucial.

Of course, it's been about four to five weeks since we started, and this will be the seventh match of this phase. It's an extremely important match because it's the final match before the international break, because it's the Premier League, and because it's an away match against Brentford—who are always a very tough opponent. Therefore, we must play a high-level, demanding match.

Finally, back to João, it's clear that missing the World Cup this summer was a tough blow for him. Will he also feel this is a setback, not being able to represent the national team this time?

No, he's moved past the shadow of this summer's World Cup. So far, he's shown great desire and strong determination to have an excellent season, so what happened this summer is now firmly in the past.

What about the next national team camp? Will he regret not being able to represent Brazil right now?

He will certainly be selected in the future; I'm very confident he will return to the national team.

Hello Alonso, I know you just mentioned that defense is about the collective and the whole team, but regarding Moisés Caicedo, you know he hasn't started a Premier League match so far this season. However, when he starts, the team's win statistics are very clear—Chelsea wins more when he plays. So, from the perspective of team balance and his defensive impact in midfield, how much do you think he helps the defense when he starts for Chelsea?

Caicedo is one of the best midfielders in the world, and there's no doubt that everything improves with him in midfield. We're well aware of that. But for now, tomorrow we will see. He hasn't been able to play so far, so we've had to adapt and deal with that situation. And when he's able to play, we'll benefit from his individual abilities, his contribution to team balance, and his presence in midfield. I think he's a great source of inspiration for his teammates around him, and I'm looking forward to his return.

Traduit par IA.

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