Xabi Alonso shares his thoughts after first match as Chelsea head coach

Xabi Alonso managed his first official match as Chelsea head coach at Stamford Bridge in London and admitted that the game was highly emotional for him. According to GOAL.com, his team secured a convincing 3–1 victory over Real Sociedad in their final pre-season fixture, giving fans a positive feeling ahead of the new season. This was reported by GOAL.com.

After the summer transfer window, the former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid coach received a warm welcome from the stands in his first match in west London. Alonso praised the atmosphere created by the fans during the game and made no secret of his satisfaction with the support shown to the team and his new coaching staff.

New coach and debutants shine

Before the match, all eyes were on Morgan Rogers, who joined from Aston Villa for a British-record fee of £117 million. The young forward did not make fans wait long to see what he could do, opening the scoring from close range in the 11th minute of his debut. Although Jon Aramburu restored parity for Real Sociedad before half-time, Chelsea fully asserted their dominance in the second half.

João Pedro played a decisive role in Chelsea’s victory. He headed home from captain Reece James’s delivery to put his team back in front, then soon converted a second opportunity to double the lead. The result allowed the coaching staff to be fully satisfied with the condition of the new arrivals and the returning leaders.

Tactical changes and the end of pre-season

Alonso once again stuck with his preferred 3-4-3 formation in this match. The Spanish coach also used the same system during his historic success at Leverkusen. This suggests that he has completely moved away from his previous 4-2-3-1 setup and is implementing a new style.

In his post-match comments, Xabi Alonso stressed that the squad’s integration was progressing well despite some players being at different levels of physical condition. The match also provided a valuable opportunity to reintegrate key players such as Reece James and Maxence Lacroix, who had returned after participating in the World Cup. The coach believes this final test will give the team the energy it needs ahead of the season.