Alonso: Maybe I made the game too difficult, those substituted should not be blamed

In the third round of the EFL Cup, Chelsea came from behind to beat Leeds United 6-3 at home. After the match, Chelsea head coach Alonso attended a press conference and answered questions from the media.

What was your first feeling about this match?

A lot happened in this game. Of course, I have to take responsibility for many of those things. We cannot blame the players; these were decisions we made. The situation in the first half certainly did not develop in the direction we wanted.

When you do not have enough time to train with the team, it is difficult to compete at this level, so this is my responsibility. We had to make adjustments at halftime, and in the second half we saw better quality and a faster tempo. We need to analyze it, but I am happy the team eventually progressed, and I am happy to see the team's reaction. At the same time, we also need to analyze how we performed.

Sorry, but it looked like the fringe players you brought in struggled, and then your key players came on and immediately won the game. Is that also how you see it?

No, it is not. I will evaluate more deeply how I can help those players who have not had much playing time, so they can have a better impact and feel better. Today was really difficult for them. Maybe I made the game too difficult, because the opponent was a very strong team. But overall, you need to react and make decisions, and the impact from the substitutes was positive.

You have now scored 26 goals in five matches, which is remarkable. On one hand, that is a lot of goals, but on the other hand, you have won four of those five games. How do you view that?

It is still an early stage, so we cannot judge what kind of team we will eventually become. I think, in terms of the connections and combinations between players, I have seen some very important things. But we need to continue doing what we have done well while continuing to improve other areas.

We want to have better balance, become more solid, and also be able to win a dull game if such a match happens. Of course, so far we have progressed in all five matches. There are two important games before the international break, and those are the only things we are focused on. We hope to finish strongly before the international break. Hull City and Brentford will both be difficult opponents.

You made very decisive substitutions at halftime. Do you need to speak with those players who were taken off?

I need to take responsibility and be accountable for what happened. I need to help them better, so they should not be responsible for this. Afterwards, you need to react and choose the option that is better for the team. In that situation, it was part of the game.

But for me, the interpretation of their individual performances is not everything I saw today. I know they are players of a different type and another level.

Some people might think your key players are enough to help the team win any match, but based on today's performance, the substitutes were not good enough. Can you understand why people would reach that conclusion?

I do not want to look at the issue in that way. I would rather think, and I know clearly, that maybe I did not make the right decisions for them or allow them to show their best level. This is something I need to analyze and learn from after today's match.

One of the substitutes who clearly performed well tonight was Welbeck. He has not started in the Premier League yet, but he has already scored three goals in this competition. Is this an example for young players?

Danny's performance was certainly excellent, but this is not only about young players; it is about the whole team and the momentum of the match. We needed to make some adjustments at that time, and I am happy Danny scored again in this competition.

In the Premier League, Joao Pedro usually starts and he has performed very well. So as I said, apart from the first half and second half being completely different, I also look at players' performances in specific circumstances. When you put all the new elements together, it is difficult to perform at your level, and we saw that today, so I need to evaluate it for the future.

Colwill was taken off. Was it because of an injury issue? He seemed to go down the tunnel for treatment.

No, it was not. He just had some minor issues, but we expect it is not an injury.

Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer and Reece James had to come off the bench to rescue the game, and there is another match on Saturday. It is somewhat similar to the games against Brighton and Luton. When the team needs them, is it relying too much on these players?

Everyone will have moments when they make an impact. I do not want to draw conclusions only based on the first half and second half and think that the team's level of performance, either collectively or individually, will always be like this.

I will consider the specific circumstances, and I will take responsibility for my decisions and actions. Now we have progressed, and next are Hull City and Brentford before the international break. We hope to get more points there. Starting tomorrow, we will prepare for the match.