The Blues kickstart their campaign against Fulham on Monday night at Craven Cottage in front of a away crowd eager to see major improvements from last season which saw the side finish 10th.
Chelsea have since appointed former Real Madrid and Liverpool star Alonso after sacking Liam Rosenior, a move welcomed by supporters after he found immense success at Bayer Leverkusen.
Alonso reunites with former Madrid and Spain teammate Arbeloa who is now Fulham boss after a spell with Los Blancos last season.
Alonso once described Arbeloa as not merely a teammate but a “friend with a capital F” but ahead of the game he says when it comes to the game their relationship means nothing.
On his relationship with Arbeloa: “You can have a relationship but once we're on the pitch, no friends and no past. We are fighting for 90 minutes.”
On ambition and mentality: “Football is about mentality, it's about competitiveness, it's about going through difficult moments in the game. It's so important. Starting on Monday, it's going to be a nice battle.
“Ambition is to be as high as possible. Let's see where we are in May. We need the hunger to do well and create a good spirit.”
“We feel ready. We have prepared the whole pre-season. The desire, ambition and hunger to start is already in the building.”
It will be interesting to see how Alonso and Arbeloa act on the sidelines as they interact with one another on Monday night, not as friends but as rivals desperate for 3 points to start the campaign in perfect fashion.