Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso said the pain of defeat must be turned into motivation to move forward.

In the highly anticipated London derby, Chelsea suffered a 1-2 defeat to Arsenal away from home. After the match, Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso attended the press conference, providing an in-depth analysis of the game's ups and downs and expressing his appreciation for the team's fighting spirit.

Speaking about the shift in momentum of the match, Alonso said, "It was a game with many ups and downs. We started very well and took the lead, but in the next 15 minutes they put a lot of pressure on us."

“Our formation was quite deep, making it difficult to control the ball and organize attacks. Those 15 minutes were really tough, and the whole team had to grit their teeth and persevere. Once the score became 1-1, the game returned to equilibrium.”

Regarding the second-half goal conceded and the subsequent comeback, Alonso frankly stated: "We could have done better for the second goal. But you have to accept that it's part of the game. Arsenal is a top team, and they will push you to your limit."

“They overloaded the left flank, and it was Odegaard who eventually scored. But we didn’t give up after that. The team showed great ambition and a fighting spirit until the very last moment. Esteban’s chances came very close to scoring.”

In response to the defeat, Alonso emphasized the importance of a positive mindset: "It was a loss, and we are certainly disappointed; losing must be painful, but that pain needs to be transformed into positive motivation because this is only the third game of the season. There are still many games to play, and we anticipated that today would be an extremely high-intensity match."

When asked about the impact of Caicedo and Colwell's absence due to injury, Alonso stated clearly: "Caicedo's injury is not long-term; the key is to assess the risks. Perhaps we rushed him back last week, and I don't want to make the same mistake again."

"It's easy to blame injuries after a loss, but I don't want to do that. I'm happy with the players we have. Dealing with injuries and suspensions is a lesson every coach must learn, but there's no doubt we still need them back because they are top players who can make us stronger."

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