In his first press conference, Spanish coach Xabi Alonso, the new manager of Chelsea, urged his team to enjoy a 'thirst' for victories, noting that the club finished last season in tenth place in the English Premier League on Monday.

Alonso's appointment comes at a time when Chelsea is seeking to restore its position among the elite clubs in England.

The 44-year-old Alonso touched on discussing the ongoing World Cup, recalling memories of his crowning with the Spanish national team with the 2010 title.

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The former Real Madrid coach avoided talking about specific goals for Chelsea in his first season at the helm in West London, but stressed that qualifying for European competitions is a goal. He said, 'Of course that is a goal. But to reach it, you need to do many things correctly, and be part of this process: how do we want to play? How do we want to see ourselves? How do we want to handle matches wherever we go?' He added, 'That is my job. And that's why I am really looking forward to having the full squad at my disposal. At the moment we have some glimpses, but they are still in their early stages.' He continued, 'But of course we want to be there, and time will tell. We are ambitious, and at Chelsea we need to share that energy, that ambition, and also that hunger to achieve success.' Alonso also insisted that Chelsea is keen to keep Argentine midfielder Enzo Fernandez. Earlier this month, Real Madrid denied interest in signing Fernandez, who will face England with his national team in the World Cup semi-final on Wednesday. Alonso said, 'Yes, we have spoken. But as you can understand, what we talked about remains private. But yes, we have spoken.' When asked if he wanted Fernandez to stay at Stamford Bridge, he replied, 'Yes.' Fernandez is one of four Chelsea players still participating in the World Cup, along with English duo Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah and Frenchman Malo Gusto. Alonso signed a four-year contract, but avoided answering when asked if the Chelsea management would give him time to compete for the title. He added, 'What I am sure of is that we have the ambition to win many matches and be competitive. We need to make important decisions, build strong principles, a solid mentality and culture within the club. Time will tell.' He concluded, 'I will not predict what will happen in May... but I am confident and optimistic that we can have a great season.'

Alonso faces the task of bringing Chelsea back into contention for European competitions after a season in which they finished tenth. With four of his players still in the World Cup, he will await their return to fully assess the squad. Attention turns to his decisions in the winter transfer window and his dealings with players like Enzo Fernandez.