Alonso backs Caicedo-Henderson axis ahead of Everton trip

Xabi Alonso has expressed confidence in Chelsea's midfield depth ahead of Saturday's Premier League fixture against Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, pointing to the early partnership between Moises Caicedo and Jordan Henderson.

Reece James will miss the match after undergoing successful minor knee surgery, but Alonso played down any concerns, citing the 5-1 victory over Bournemouth as evidence of the squad's quality in that area.

"It was only one game, but I think that Moi helps Hendo and Hendo helps Moi," Alonso said. "In terms of personalities, they match well. Hendo has this energy to go; he's very active. He covers a lot of pitch and finds the balance with Moi, who's more in the position and has this stability."

Alonso was clear that two midfielders alone will not always suffice. "There will be games or moments that we will need a third midfielder as well, to have a different approach or different analysis of the game. So we can't just rely on two midfielders."

The Chelsea manager also highlighted the contributions of Romeo Lavia and Valentin Barco. He described Barco's competitive edge in particular terms: "He doesn't care who the opponent is – he goes, he goes, he goes. That's a little bit of this warrior fighting spirit that he brings to the team."

On Lavia, Alonso noted that the Belgian has overcome availability issues to become a consistent presence. "Until now he's done really well since I've been here. He's been available, he's played a lot of games, he's been able to be training regularly, playing regularly, playing 90 minutes. He's in a very good momentum."

Alonso, who played at the highest level for Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich among others, emphasised the decision-making burden that midfielders carry. "The midfielders need to take many, many decisions — small ones that look meaningless, but they are very significant. When they do things well, they help the team around them, because they are in the middle of everything."

Chelsea sit fourth in the Premier League after seven games, having scored 17 goals in the opening weeks of the season.