Pedro Neto: Alonso's new ideas behind Chelsea's solid run

Chelsea have recorded back-to-back Premier League wins over Bournemouth and Everton since the international break, and winger Pedro Neto says the improvement is no coincidence.

Manager Xabi Alonso used the three-week international break to work with players not on international duty, focusing on new tactical ideas. The extra training time has translated directly into results on the pitch.

Chelsea's opening weeks of the season produced attractive attacking football but also defensive vulnerabilities, with the side conceding an average of two goals per Premier League game. Alonso publicly acknowledged that record was unsustainable before the break.

The response was visible against Bournemouth, where the Blues maintained their attacking threat while tightening defensively, helped by Moises Caicedo's return from injury and Jordan Henderson's home debut. Greater defensive solidity followed at Everton, where the hosts finished with an expected goals total of just 0.43.

Neto opened the scoring at Everton with a well-taken finish and credited Alonso's half-time tactical adjustment as a key factor, alongside the work embedded during the break.

"I think during the international break, the manager had a little bit more time to focus on different ideas and try new things, and since we came back, he has been really vocal about that," Neto said. "We follow his ideas and we put effort into them, which is most important. And as you saw [against Everton] we had a really good game."

On Chelsea's broader ambitions, the Portuguese winger kept expectations measured. "The ambition is to take things game by game and then we will see what will happen. The important thing is that we approach every game like it's the last one and that we continue to compete."