EPL: Alonso talks about his new Chelsea midfield partnership after 5-1 win over Bournemouth

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has praised the midfield partnership between Moisés Caicedo and Jordan Henderson following their 5-1 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday.

Henderson and Morgan Rogers scored twice each, while João Pedro also found the net as Chelsea returned from the international break with a convincing win.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, Alonso was asked about the partnership between Henderson and Caicedo and how effectively the duo worked together.

Before Saturday’s encounter, Chelsea’s midfield had been a source of concern for Alonso.

The Spaniard said: “Both, in terms of qualities, are different, and in terms of positioning as well. I think that they help each other well and they give presence, they give stability. You know that they are going to be the ones that are going to be helping the rest, not just for their qualities because they understand the game.

“They can play in shorter spaces, but as well defensively, they give good balance. For me, it’s fundamental that we get that area strong and for sure with Moisés, Hendo played today, it was his second game.

“Romeo as well, he played good minutes, Reece has played there a little bit on some minutes and Barco, so we need to keep building around that.”