'Improve quickly' - Alonso's assessment of opening match

[Getty Images] New Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso says he wants his squad to "improve quickly" after a chaotic 6-4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers in his first match. The Spaniard, 44, made his comments in the context of being asked about the talks to sign experienced duo Danny Welbeck, 35, from Brighton and Jordan Henderson, 36, from Brentford. On his Chelsea bow, Alonso oversaw a side that showed the quality to score six times but also offered a side of their display that boasted ample errors. When asked whether experience would improve Chelsea in light of the performance, Alonso replied: "Everyone has to learn, everyone. "It doesn't matter if you are young or more experienced. This is what happens in the game and this is a quality you need as well. "You can be quick, you can be good at dribbling, but you also need the game intelligence to do the right things. In every aspect we need to improve quickly because the competition starts in almost a month and we want to be ready for that. "We need to manage that. It is so important in football nowadays." Alonso's comment was also linked to the impressive pace in which Chelsea have acted in the transfer market but with a need to potentially do even more. They secured deals for £117m forward Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa and Crystal Palace defender Maxence Lacroix, along with the acquisition of Atalanta full-back Marco Palestra, who made his first appearance at the Accor Stadium. Alonso's assessment followed a performance that featured "positives" but also highlighted poor "game management" and an inability to find "solutions" to the Wanderers' tactics. There was also praise for substitute Joao Pedro, who scored a 10-minute hat-trick and was described as "very hungry", while Alonso revealed Romeo Lavia did not feature because there was "no point in taking risks" after he "felt something in his hamstring".