The midfielder has started both of Chelsea's league matches under Alonso and opened his goalscoring account for the club in Sunday's thrilling 4-3 victory over Brighton at Stamford Bridge.

Lavia was quick to praise the mentality within the squad, insisting Alonso has played an important role in creating a winning mindset.

"Our mentality has been great so far, starting from pre-season," Lavia said. "The manager has really been big on that to help us get that extra per cent to help us get the three points."

Chelsea have now won their opening two league games, and Lavia believes confidence will continue to grow as the team spends more time working together.

"It's all about building confidence," he said. "Obviously, my team-mates are giving me a lot of it, and the manager as well. It's just about building game by game, and I feel great, so hopefully it can continue forever."

The goal against Brighton was particularly special for Lavia, who admitted he plans to watch the moment several more times after scoring his first Chelsea goal at Stamford Bridge.

"It means a lot to score my first – a lot," he said. "I'm very happy – to score at the Bridge as well. For a first one, it can't get any better."

Lavia made no attempt to hide the fact that it was not the prettiest finish, but he was more than happy to take it.

"It's not the best-looking goal, but I'll take it every day," he added.

The midfielder also highlighted the reaction from the Chelsea supporters and his team-mates, saying the moment gave him a huge boost.

"It was a fantastic reaction from the fans, and from my team-mates as well. I really felt the love, so it was an amazing feeling."

Chelsea were made to work hard for the victory as Brighton fought back, but Lavia believes the squad's willingness to rely on each other is becoming one of its biggest strengths.

"We know our colleagues, and when we know that our colleagues can take over, we just need to make sure the rest goes with it," he said.

"We realise that it's automatic – that we just push each other. We know our colleagues will take over in the end."

That growing understanding will now be tested in a major London derby, with Chelsea travelling to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Lavia believes the hard work being done on the training ground is helping Chelsea handle the demands of Premier League football.

"It's honestly a great group to be in, and the demands in training every single day make it easier to then perform on the weekend," he said.

"There's a lot of work that goes behind the scenes, and it was just about putting that into practice. We're happy that they came off well against Brighton, so I'm very happy."

Teboho Mokoena unlikely to leave DStv Premiership leaders Sundowns