Xabi Alonso has admitted that Chelsea had a disappointing outing against Tottenham, yet he chose not to fixate on possession stats. The manager expressed his support for Mike Penders and confirmed the team is now concentrating on their upcoming cup clash with Liverpool.
The club was evidently disappointed with Saturday's performance. Were there any regrets regarding tactical decisions?
Yes, we were definitely unhappy with both the result and our performance.
It was a big match, and we could have done much better.
There were specific details that turned out to be quite important.
We’ve analysed everything, drawn conclusions, and now we move forward.
Our full focus is now on Liverpool.
Having only 31% possession is quite telling. While stats can be interpreted in various ways, do you prefer your team to have more control of the ball?
It depends on the match context.
I want to win.
I want us to play better with the ball. I believe we are capable of more, and we certainly were not at our level in that match.
The possession percentage isn’t that significant.
It could be 60, 40, or 30 percent.
The main thing is to create chances, find opportunities to score, and win matches.
That’s what truly matters.
On Friday, you spoke highly of Mike Penders' attributes. What do you see in him psychologically, and how do you think he dealt with the match on Saturday?
It’s part of the challenge—handling both great matches and mistakes.
That’s part of being a footballer at the highest level.
What happened on Saturday is now behind us.
It’s a lesson for him and all of us.
For now, we fully support him as we head into the next match.
