Xabi Alonso called Chelsea's Sunday evening clash with Arsenal a tight, thrilling contest from both sides. The defeat, though, stung.
New signing Morgan Rogers handed Chelsea an early lead inside two minutes at the Emirates Stadium. Arsenal hit back to win by two goals through Kai Havertz and Martin Odegaard.
"The defeat is painful," Alonso told Sky Sports after the match. "It was a very passionate match, with contrasting moments. We had chances to score, especially in the first half. No one feels happy when they lose."
As reported by "BBC", he added: "After we scored the goal, we were forced to defend excessively for 15 to 20 minutes, and we struggled a little to regain control. Then things improved slightly after that."
"Overall, it was a very close and highly exciting match," he continued. "We could have dealt better with the second goal we conceded. The players gave their utmost, and tried with all their might. There is no doubt that the defeat is painful."
The Spanish coach went on: "It is about preparing in the best possible way to compete in the best possible way. You have to control the attacking pressure. These actions are part of the game. We will continue. This is the third match, and it will be a long and arduous journey."
Asked about Chelsea's approach to corner kicks, he explained: "We make the decisions, and we take the initiative to attack. We want to be effective and to take the initiative to attack. Sometimes on set pieces, and sometimes we press hard in advanced or deep areas. I think this is what we need to compete in all phases. Today we came here to compete in the best possible way, and now we have to carry on in the same manner."
On what he learned, he pointed out: "I learned about the game, about ourselves, about what we do, and what we start with. The players have this spirit, and this desire to deliver a better performance match after match to create something we believe in. So far I am happy. We want to win matches, that is the ultimate goal."
Pressed on the shortage of midfielders on the day, he said: "You have to deal with injuries, as the team misses the injured player. The players who were with us gave their utmost. Today they tried with all their might and gave everything they had."
Chelsea's chance creation against Arsenal also drew his praise. "It was not expected that we would create 12 chances in the match," Alonso said. "It is hard to overcome them, and hard to create chances against them, but we had 3 or 4 chances to score more than one goal. This is an ongoing process. We are still at the beginning."
"We want to start by keeping a clean sheet, and this will be achieved," he added. "The players are committed to working hard, and they know we are on the right track to compete in every match. We are not happy, but we have to stay calm and move forward."
Whether it is too early to say if Chelsea will score plenty and concede plenty was the final question. He concluded: "It is too early to predict. The coming days will reveal that. We want to keep improving in certain aspects, and we want to keep delivering the same distinctive performance. Every match is a real battle, and we fought fiercely until the last moment. It is very important for us to have this spirit, and for the team to feel it. It gives us the strength to win matches."
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