Xabi Alonso's Chelsea: A Pre-Season Tour of Long Flights, Half-Volleys and Quiet Revolution
Xabi Alonso scored a 25-yard half-volley into the net at the end of a Chelsea training session in Australia, and his players could only watch. The new Chelsea manager, a midfielder of rare grace in his playing days, has been showing his squad how it is done — and the squad has been paying attention. (BBC Sport)
Chelsea's pre-season tour of Australia and Asia was always going to be Alonso's first proper chance to get to know his players. The club hired a private Airbus A340 for the long haul to Sydney, switched the squad to local time during the flight, and instructed players to sleep after meals — a refuelling stop in Sri Lanka breaking up the journey. Once landed, they trained at Sky Park, the home of Sydney FC, and held a low-intensity open session at Allianz Stadium. (BBC Sport)
Insiders told BBC Sport that Alonso's early approach felt similar to Mauricio Pochettino's regime — heavy on fitness, with tactical ideas introduced gradually as senior players returned from international duty. In the first three matches of the tour, Alonso changed little about the 4-2-3-1 system (a formation with four defenders, two holding midfielders, one attacking midfielder and a lone striker) favoured by his predecessor Enzo Maresca and used during Liam Rosenior's spell in charge. (BBC Sport)
Alonso was hands-on throughout. He regularly demonstrated his passing in training and encouraged the young Brazilian Estevao Willian to cross on his weaker right foot. When Moises Caicedo and Nicolas Jackson arrived late after international duty, Alonso pulled them aside for one-to-one meetings. Defender Levi Colwill said he was "jealous" of how well the manager could "spray balls around." Midfielder Romeo Lavia called Alonso one of the best players of his generation and said working with him was a privilege. (BBC Sport)
The results on the pitch were mixed but promising. Chelsea beat Western Sydney Wanderers 6-4, lost 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspur in front of 80,000 fans in Sydney, then travelled to Jakarta and beat AC Milan 3-0 — Joao Pedro scoring twice. A final tour fixture was planned, with a stop in Malaysia where Alonso was to be reunited with former Liverpool team-mate Luis Garcia. (BBC Sport; Chelsea FC; BBC Sport)
One breakout performer caught the eye in Australia. Sydney-born Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, an England Under-17 international, impressed in midfield and attracted Australian media interest — his mother's links to Sydney opening the possibility that he could represent Australia in the future. (BBC Sport)
Off the pitch, the tour had the usual pre-season rhythm. The squad visited the cinema, took boat trips, and played table tennis, darts and computer games at their hotel overlooking Darling Harbour. Players attended sponsor events near Bondi Beach and held a group gym session at North Sydney Pool beneath the Harbour Bridge. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez even appeared on Australian breakfast TV. Co-owner Behdad Eghbali and sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Joe Shields were all present — and, behind the scenes, the club was working on deals for Maxence Lacroix, Danny Welbeck, Jordan Henderson and Spanish defender Pep Chavarria. (BBC Sport)
What makes this tour stand out is the sense of a manager settling in without rushing. Alonso has not ripped up the blueprint. He has kept the shape, drilled the fitness, and let his own quality as a footballer do some of the teaching. For Chelsea fans, the 3-0 win over AC Milan in Jakarta — with Joao Pedro looking sharp — offers the first concrete evidence that the plan is taking shape.
Alonso said a plan was in place to ensure his side were ready to compete in the final pre-season fixture. The real test, of course, arrives when the points start counting. (Chelsea FC)
