EPL: Why I played 3 teenagers against Brentford – Chelsea coach, Alonso

Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso provided insight into his decision to field three young players against Brentford in the Premier League match on Friday. After a 3-0 defeat at the Gtech Community Stadium, Alonso brought on Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli (16), Geovany Quenda (19), and Estevao Willian (19) in the second half. At his post-match press conference, Alonso explained that he introduced these youngsters due to a shortage of players in midfield, stating, "Yeah, with 2-0 we brought Mahdi [Nicoll-Jazuli] because he has great energy, that at the moment in the middle we were short of numbers."

Alonso also stated that the other teenagers were part of the squad and had received good training, saying, "The other ones are Geo [Quenda] and Estevao. Yeah, because they have been trained well, they are part of the squad." Chelsea will face Bournemouth in their upcoming Premier League match at Stamford Bridge following the international break.