Alonso reveals the behind-the-scenes details of Palmer's exclusion from the England squad
Alonso prepares pleasant surprise regarding Martínez ahead of Sunderland clash
Xabi Alonso tackled several big talking points around his Chelsea squad on Friday, none bigger than the decision to leave Cole Palmer out of the England setup. The Blues boss also delivered fresh medical updates on his injured players and their availability for the games ahead.
Alonso was speaking ahead of Sunday's trip to Sunderland in the tenth round of the Premier League. Chelsea sit fourth on 16 points, eight behind leaders Arsenal.
Thomas Tuchel left Palmer out over his absence from several previous camps, and Alonso revealed he had not raised the matter with the forward. Speaking to Sky Sports, the Spaniard said: "We did not talk about this matter. Instead, all our focus was on our upcoming match on Sunday. We are extremely pleased with what Cole is offering, and we see that he is enjoying his work and blending in excellently with the rest of the attacking players. He is also helping the team to develop and improve in order to reach our goals, while we are fully aware that everything takes some time. I am very happy with his quality, his mentality, and his positive impact on the rest of his teammates."
Asked whether there was any regret about Palmer's absence from the previous international camp, or his desire to play for his country, Alonso insisted the club's internal work came first: "We did not go into those details. We play the matches and focus only on Chelsea's affairs, and on how to develop the performance and help him be more influential in the matches. We talk about Chelsea only, as we have enough to do at the club, and we have to focus every weekend, as this is the area where I can have an influence and talk about."
How is the player handling the pressure right now? Alonso had a clear view: "Cole needs to focus on playing good football and enjoying playing with Chelsea. We have already talked about the red card after the Tottenham match, but most other matters are centred on the match and football and how we can offer our best."
Pressed on his relationship with the national team coaching staffs and whether he asks players to withdraw, Alonso made his position plain: "No, I have never asked for that. When a player is in full physical readiness, he becomes available to be called up, and when he is not ready, we try to provide the national team's medical staff with the appropriate information so that we can decide together. Sometimes the call-up may not be in the player's interest. For example, Anselmino was called up to the Argentina squad after he trained better over the past ten days, so it is very important for him to receive his first call-up, and the same applies to the rest of the players."
On midfielder Moisés Caicedo, Alonso said: "After the last match Moisés suffered some minor problems, and we expect to examine several medical cases tomorrow, and Caicedo is among these cases. It is a matter of a feeling of discomfort more than a direct injury to the calf muscle."
The manager also turned to Maxence Lacroix and João Pedro: "We do not expect them to make tomorrow's match. We will see how their recovery stage goes and the progress they will make after the two-week international break, and I will provide additional updates before the clash with Leeds."
What of goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez and his chances of featuring? Alonso said: "We have the final training session before Sunday's clash and we will make our decision then, but he is training very well. It is very wonderful that Emi has put in a great effort to be ready to return. His return has come ahead of the expected timeline for him to be part of the team, and tomorrow we will carry out the final check to make the final decision on Sunday."
