Alonso brings "positive energy" to Chelsea.

Spanish coach Xabi Alonso said on Monday that there is a "good energy" in his new team Chelsea, which is looking to change its situation by hiring the former Real Madrid manager.

The Spaniard officially began his duties on July 1 and will lead his team in their first match in Sydney on Tuesday when they face the "Blues" Western Sydney Wanderers.

Alonso faces a massive task to bring Chelsea back into contention for major titles after finishing last season disappointingly in tenth place in the Premier League and failing to qualify for European competitions.

The club last won the Premier League title a decade ago under the management of Italian coach Antonio Conte.

Alonso has made a series of signings during the preparatory period, most notably Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa, and he stated that he has been impressed with what he has seen so far, saying: "We want to build a competitive team. We are in the midst of this process. We have great quality and a lot of talent," adding: "We need to understand what it takes to compete in the Premier League, and we want to have a squad that has the right balance between quality and mentality."

The same speaker added: "But I think we are starting the new season with good energy, and that will be important."

The former midfielder for Liverpool and the Spanish national team has emerged as one of Europe's brightest coaches after leading Bayer Leverkusen to an unbeaten league and cup double during the 2023-2024 season, in addition to reaching the final of the Europa League, although he only lasted seven months as coach of Real Madrid, which appointed him last year and then let him go in January.

Alonso is associated with a short-passing style and implemented a 1-2-4-3 system at Leverkusen that proved remarkably successful; however, he also showed realism in his tactics, a trait he intends to bring to Chelsea.

The coach added: "We will be flexible in our tactics, in our approaches, and in our game plans," acknowledging that he is not trying to impose a completely different system from last season, and continued: "It's not about me changing everything. It's about updating and developing something they (the players) have done with new concepts that every coach has."

Alonso noted: "But the good thing is that many things I love, they have already done, so now it's about changing or updating a few other things."

Since Chelsea last won the Premier League title in 2017, several coaches have come and gone after failing to replicate that achievement, and the pressure is now on Alonso to end this drought; however, he said it is still early to determine what would be considered a successful season.