Alonso: João Félix Could Play Tomorrow But May Miss Brazil Duty; It's Possible

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

Hello Xabi, there have been significant changes in club ownership. Do you see this as a positive development?

Yes, when there are significant changes in the club's management structure and ownership,I think this is an important day for the club.I have several points I want to make: First, I'm very grateful for the work done by the former owners in the past. Although I wasn't here at that time, I know they played an important role.

Now with Behdad Eghbali having more control, almost full control, I think it's good to have a clear leader and clear strategic direction. My relationship with Behdad is very good. He personally came to Madrid to explain the plan to me and convince me to join Chelsea, and we've worked together very happily. As I mentioned before, this is the first phase of our squad-building plan, and it's going well. Now we'll continue forward together.

The club's ambitions are very clear. How confident are you that Chelsea will soon be able to compete for major trophies again?

That's our goal: to work hard and return ourselves to a competitive position to challenge for the championship, although we know how fierce the competition is. But there's no doubt about the club's ambition, the club's great potential, the quality of our players, and where we are now – we're very clear about where we want to be. We know that restructuring and building anything takes time, but our ambition to pursue this goal is very clear and unwavering.

What can you tell us about João Félix? Since he won't represent Brazil in the coming weeks...

Regarding injuries and squad status, we'll have our final training session tomorrow before the match, so no one has been completely ruled out for Friday's game yet. So I prefer to be cautious, and we'll wait until after tomorrow's training to make final decisions on each player.

Can you confirm João's specific injury situation? Is there a possibility he could play for Chelsea against Brentford tomorrow but not report to the Brazil national team afterward?

That's certainly possible.

As for Moises Caicedo, you previously said you hoped he would be available this week. Is he getting closer to a return now?

He is indeed getting closer to a return. Tomorrow we'll make a final decision on the full squad for the away match against Brentford.

Reece James didn't participate in the open training session we saw on Tuesday. Is there anything to be concerned about?

No, it was just a customized adjustment to Tuesday's training schedule. We're carefully monitoring his recovery progress and will make a decision tomorrow.

On a positive note, are Marco Guiu and Jordan Henderson getting closer to returning? Could they be in consideration for selection tomorrow?

We'll make that final decision tomorrow... Sorry, my friend, I apologize (laughs)! I keep repeating myself, but you're all asking the same questions! But before that, the players themselves know very well, and I think we need to evaluate all decisions through this final training session. Tomorrow we'll make our decision for the Brentford match.

So far, you've made several adjustments to the defense in each Premier League match. What do you expect from the defense in tomorrow's match? How do you ensure the defense stays more solid?

Well, defense is the responsibility of all 11 players, not just four or five at the back, regardless of formation. It's about the whole team, about how we compete, and how we adapt to different phases of the game. When we're ahead in a match or when the match is tight, we need to maintain the same competitive mentality to face different situations. We know it's very difficult to control a full 90 minutes in the Premier League, but the ability to adapt to the game and have the necessary sense of urgency and focus is critical.

Of course, it's been about four to five weeks since we started, and this will be our seventh match of this period. This is a very important match because it's the last 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 – so we need to play with high standards and intensity.

Finally, back to João. It's clearly a big blow for him to have missed the World Cup last summer. So would he also see this as a setback, not being able to report to the national team this time?

No, he's already moved past the disappointment of missing last summer's World Cup. So far, he's shown a very strong desire and determination to have a great season, so last summer is now very much in the past.

What about the upcoming Brazil national team training camp? Will he regret not being able to report to Brazil now?

He will certainly be called up in the future. I'm very confident he will return to the national team later.

Hello Xabi, I know you just mentioned that defense is about the team as a whole, but regarding Moises Caicedo, you know, he hasn't been a starter in Premier League matches so far this season, but when he does start, the team's win rate is quite noticeable – whenever he can play, Chelsea tends to win more. So, considering the team's balance and his presence in midfield, how much do you think it 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 know that. But for now, tomorrowwewill wait and see. He hasn't been able to play before, so we have to adapt and manage the situation. And when he can play, we'll benefit from his individual ability, his contribution to the team's balance, and his presence in midfield. I think he's a great inspiration to his teammates around him, and I'm very much looking forward to his return.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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