Chelsea manager Habi Alonso addressed the media after his side's narrow 2-1 defeat to Arsenal, which was his first loss since taking the helm.
After an electrifying start, Chelsea's Morgan Rodgers put them ahead just two minutes in. However, Kai Havertz levelled the score before halftime, and just after the break, Martin Odegaard netted the winner for the hosts.
When asked about the game and the fairness of the result, Alonso said:
"The match had different phases, with both teams exchanging control. We started well and scored first, but they piled on the pressure for about 15 minutes. We were defending deep and struggled to keep the ball to push the game away from our goal. Those 15 minutes were tough, and we had to withstand it.
When we conceded, I felt the game balanced out again. We created a few good opportunities before halftime. At the break, we discussed how even and intense the match was, stressing the need for maximum concentration, not giving our opponents any advantage, and staying in the game.
We could have done better during the second goal. But that’s part of football; Arsenal are a top team that forces you to operate at the limit of your capabilities. They create significant numerical superiority on the left side, bringing multiple players into the attack, culminating in Odegaard’s run.
Nonetheless, we kept pushing. The team showed great desire and character, fighting right up until the end. Estevao had a moment, and we were close to equalising.
It's a defeat, and we are disappointed. It should hurt, but that pain must be used correctly. This is only our third match, and there are many more to come. We anticipated today’s game would be intense.
On the pace of the match, Alonso added:
I want us to compete at the highest level and win. We didn’t intend to sit back from minute one and just wait, dragging the game out. We aimed to be aggressive, dictating the press: sometimes pushing higher, sometimes dropping back, and controlling the ball effectively. And we got a lot right.
We need to improve and learn from these matches as this is the highest level of football. Playing at this level, we want to be as effective and precise as possible in all phases.
But right now, we are where we are. This is just the third match of our new phase with Chelsea. I’m pleased with the players’ mentality and attitude. They gave everything and truly fought hard.
With Chelsea conceding seven goals in their opening three matches, a journalist pressed him on the need to bolster their defence.
My priority is to win. Generally, it’s easier to win when you’re not conceding many goals.
So yes, we must focus on that. We want to be better—more compact, efficient, and balanced. But that requires time, too.
Reflecting on Chelsea's struggle to compete with Arsenal at the Emirates in recent years, Alonso highlighted the team's progress:
We came here to compete and aimed for victory. We knew we weren’t far from it, but today it fell in their favour. We could have made it 2-2, and then you never know what could happen.
But I’m not here to dispute the result. We must accept it. We’re dissatisfied, it hurts, and we are undoubtedly disappointed.
However, this is our first defeat. There’s a long road ahead, and one result won’t heavily influence our mood or mindset.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta praised the win as a testament to Arsenal's potential to be even better than last season. When asked what the match suggested about his team, Alonso replied:
I will speak about us. We will take away a lot of valuable lessons from today’s match as we did after our games against Fulham, Brighton, and Luton.
We strive to learn from every match, improving win or lose.
This is the process we’re currently undergoing. We want to establish clear principles and ideas of our play to eventually win and compete at the highest level.
On the injury absence of Moises Caicedo, Alonso dismissed long-term concerns, stating:
No, it’s not a long-term issue. It’s a matter of risk assessment. Perhaps we rushed him back a bit too soon last week, and I don’t want to make the same mistake again.
Addressing the impact of Caicedo and Levi Colwill’s absence, Alonso remarked:
After a loss, it’s easy to talk about missing players. I won’t do that. I’m pleased with the players we have.
Of course, injuries are part of the game. Mikel has to deal with them as well. Every manager faces injuries and suspensions. It’s not possible for all players to be available for every match.
Still, we do need them because they’re top-level players. With them, we become stronger.
