Ahead of Chelsea's League Cup third-round match against Leeds United at home, Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso held a press conference. He discussed the team's review and adjustments following their loss to Arsenal, and also responded to questions about the injury situations of Caicedo, Palistela, and others. This article covers the first part of the press conference.

Xabi, good to see you. You've had some time to reflect on the Arsenal game. Two days later, how do you view the team's performance in that match now?

Of course. With time, you can conduct a deeper analysis, and the emotions after the match can settle down a bit. So far, every game has given us feedback, and we've learned something from all of them.

The match against Arsenal was a high-level, intense game, and it went through different phases. We've talked about this game, shared our feelings and experiences during the match, and we've analyzed it to prepare for what's next. And what's next is tomorrow's match against Leeds United, which is our current main focus.

Speaking of tomorrow's game, is there any chance that Marco Palistela or Moisés Caicedo could play?

No, not yet. They are not ready, and now is not the time to take unnecessary risks. So, regarding their situation, we will take it game by game. For now, it's still too early.

How frustrating has it been for you not to have been able to use Marco so far? Because it feels like he would be a very important part of your plans.

Especially for himself, it must be very frustrating. He arrived here full of energy and very eager to enjoy playing in the Premier League. He had a very good pre-season, but then he got injured a few days before the first match against Fulham. However, recovering from injury is also part of a professional player's career. We will definitely need him because he has great potential and can bring many of the excellent qualities we need to the team.

You mentioned on Sunday that Colwill had some physical issues. How is he now?

He's fine, he can play tomorrow.

In the last game against Luton, you fielded a very strong lineup. So for tomorrow's game, how do you plan to arrange your personnel?

We always comprehensively assess all situations, considering what we've just experienced and what we're facing next. We will take every game and every cup competition very seriously, and then, based on the team's current situation, field the most appropriate lineup possible.

What's your initial impression of Barco?

He is a very competitive player. You can see he has that Argentine spirit—he's a fighter. His footwork is very good, and he's also very willing to adapt here quickly. He's very intelligent. When a player has both this mentality and this understanding, I think it's easier for him to make a positive impact, and that's how he is now.

What more do you need to see from him before giving him opportunities in important matches?

After all, we've only played three Premier League games and one cup match, so it's still very early for everything. Whether for each player or for the entire team, there will be a lot of development and a lot of things will happen, so everyone will get an opportunity.

He is very patient and very intelligent. He knows that coming here from Strasbourg is a very big and important step. The competition here is very fierce now, which is a good thing, and he is ready for such a challenge.

Last week there were reports from Brazil that Estêvão was concerned about the playing opportunities he might get this season. Has he expressed such thoughts to you?

No. Estêvão is ready, he trains very well. He made a very good impact after coming on in the last game and also got a good opportunity. So he is fully committed now, maintaining a very good attitude every day.

Do you think he will play an important role this season?

Yes, Estêvão is 100% in my plans because he has great potential. He is still very young, and he is currently in the process of adapting and learning quickly. This season will be very long.

Have you sat down and talked to Estêvão privately? Because I imagine, from his perspective, he might feel that it's not easy to break into your starting eleven.

Regarding private conversations, I don't like to discuss them publicly. I think these things should remain private. However, this season will be very long. What we want to create here is for players to come in every day with the desire and hunger to prove themselves, to show every day that they are ready for the challenge. Estêvão is one of them.

So he has always maintained a very good attitude and a very good mindset, preparing for every game and always ready to play for the team.

As you said, the season is long, but the team has no European competition. So how important are these cup competitions? Is it necessary to progress as far as possible in these competitions to give players more playing opportunities?

We need to get everyone involved. The more players involved with the team, the more players who can feel they are part of it and get playing time, the better it is for the overall level of the team, even for those who get more playing time.

I think it's very important to use all players and make everyone feel this sense of inclusion. So far, our overall atmosphere and the internal functioning of the team have been very good every day.

Regarding Moisés Caicedo, do you know when he will be back? Is there any possibility he could return on Saturday? Also, what exactly is the extent of his injury?

It's possible, but we still need to wait. Perhaps by Thursday or Friday, we will know more.

What stage do you think the team is at now? Is the current progress faster than you originally expected? After all, you've only been here for about three months. Or is this the stage you originally expected to reach?

We know this will be a long process, but during this process, you also have to constantly evaluate how things are going. So far, I think we can be satisfied. However, we also have to demand more from ourselves because we can do even better. There are some areas where we don't have much time to improve slowly, but need to make progress as quickly as possible.

Of course, we hope to get as many clean sheets as possible as soon as possible. This will be a topic we need to address in every game because we know the competition here is very fierce. We are moving forward step by step, but there are still many steps to go.

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