Before Chelsea travelled to Sydney, Australia, Xabi Alonso arranged a staff-only game at their Cobham training ground, mixing his new guys who had arrived with him alongside those who already worked within the first-team building.
To save you reading a match report of a seven-a-side kickabout, let’s just say the team featuring Alonso won, because one source says he was providing the assists for their goals, one after another.
Nothing gets a good working culture going like a game of football, and Alonso has clearly still got it, the talent which made him a fine midfielder for Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Spain and more. By all accounts, the players have loved watching him in training, too.
Levi Colwill told us during one conversation in Sydney how Alonso has been ‘spraying balls around for no reason’ and playing ‘a perfect pass every time’. A few within the Chelsea squad said similar, while adding they have liked how Alonso is not as rigid as other coaches who like to stop the session if they spy a player out of position by a few yards. You can’t pause live matches, after all.
At the beginning of this visit, Colwill and everyone else was advised by Chelsea’s sports science department to essentially act as if they were on Australian time from the moment they left the tarmac in London. Dinner was served shortly after departing, despite their flight leaving in the morning, and then they were told to sleep. The squad stopped at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake, Sri Lanka for a stretching session halfway through.
Daily Mail Sport stopped off in Singapore, where our connection was cancelled, giving us a spare day to walk the Marina Bay Street Circuit Formula One track. That was tricky, mind. We had packed for an Australian winter; not the humidity of Singapore.
Xabi Alonso’s training sessions have gone down well with his new Chelsea charges
And the Spaniard, donning a pair of adidas Predators, has not been afraid to join in training
The squad at Sydney Harbour Bridge, close to their five-star hotel
It was indeed chilly in Sydney, where Chelsea stayed in the W, a luxurious five-star hotel complete with an infinity pool overlooking the Darling Harbour. Before training at the Allianz Stadium, Les Kiss, the new head coach of the Australia rugby union team, walked by. Alonso knew who he was, too. Chelsea’s manager bumped into him and had a good chat before training began.
He might have been getting some good jogging tips from Kiss. There has been a Chelsea running club of sorts between the backroom staff, all meeting in the lobby of their swish hotel before pounding the pavements. Alonso likes to try to do 10 kilometres three times a week, aiming for four minutes and 30 seconds per kilometre. He kept this up – and managed to get in the odd round of golf in Sydney – despite struggling with jet-lag throughout the trip.
Chelsea’s open training session at the Allianz Stadium was watched by 5,289 fans, several of whom were wearing Kairat FC shirts and holding Kazakhstan flags for Chelsea’s 17-year-old newbie Dastan Satpayev. The teenager was technically an ‘international trialist’ on this tour, as his transfer from the Kazakh champions will not go through until he turns 18 on August 12. That required Chelsea receiving permission from Kairat and his parents.
There were fans for every player over here. We even saw one lad with a cardboard cutout of Liam Delap’s face. Another had a sign which read: ‘Robert Sanchez could have saved the Titanic.’
Fitness coach Ismael Camenforte Lopez led the drills, shouting instructions at the squad. Alonso occasionally chipped in, like when he told Romeo Lavia to check his surroundings when the Belgian midfielder met one cross which he should have left for a team-mate behind him. There were a few wayward balls during a crossing drill.
Then Alonso won one almighty cheer from the crowd. As Camenforte Lopez blew his whistle to signal the session’s end, Alonso smashed a ball bouncing towards him on the half-volley and into the goal from 25 yards, much to the delight of the supporters. Like we said: he’s still got it.
Willie Isa, Chelsea’s hire from rugby league who tries to improve the squad mentality, was a fan favourite, too. He was signing autographs and taking selfies with our rugby-mad Aussie crowd, and was heard telling the supporters that they can expect a better season while doing so.
In other sessions, Chelsea’s squad was split into two for a big passing exercise. Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen were involved in those – Alonso wants his team playing from the back – while the younger goalkeepers Ted Curd and Teddy Sharman-Lowe practised catching crosses with coach Ben Roberts. Jorgensen was only here in Sydney for a few days before being sent home because he was closing in on leaving the club. Long old way to travel for a couple of sessions.
Dastan Satpayev impressed on tour, though he was officially down as ‘international triallist’ as his transfer from Kairat does not go through until he turns 18 on August 12
Alonso guides Moises Caicedo through a training session at Sky Park in Sydney
Youngsters Aaron Anselmino, Estevao Willian and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli battle it out
On their first Monday in Sydney, Chelsea’s players and staff were at Sky Park, the training ground for Sydney FC on a university campus. The local club were a little cheeky. Their WiFi password was ‘Football Is Coming Home’ with some numbers replacing letters. It was written on a big whiteboard, right next to where we spoke with Colwill and Cole Palmer, neither of whom made it into England’s World Cup squad.
At 2pm that day, everybody’s mobile phones started going haywire, simultaneously letting off deafening sirens. The Australian Government had sent us all a test message of their new emergency warning system.
One of Chelsea’s staff members was on a pre-season tour for the first time with the club, and so tradition called for an initiation song. Mercifully it was not for performing in front of the players – just some of the internal staff. I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys was the choice.
When we spoke with Palmer he was on fine form, joking that he was going to get the bailiffs to Morgan Rogers’ door if his new team-mate and close friend dared use his ‘cold’ celebration next season.
Apparently Palmer actually asked Chelsea to choose him for that presser. Maybe he had seen others getting picked before him and fancied chatting about his best pal, Rogers. It did make a difference as he was indeed in a good mood, and hopefully he has a more enjoyable season in 2026-27.
The vibes inside the Chelsea camp were positive. Mind you, I did wince when I saw Estevao Willian hop on for a piggyback from Wesley Fofana, fearing a pre-season injury to Chelsea’s defender.
Chelsea had a fair few academy youngsters with them on this trip. Among them, 16-year-olds Reggie Watson and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli. You do not want those kids simply sitting in their rooms, glued to their devices, bored to tears.
So Chelsea helped entertain them, such as by arranging boat trips and the like. The club appreciate that these boys’ parents essentially put their trust in them, and so they wanted to repay that faith.
Cole Palmer was in a distinctly better mood as he tries to put last season – and missing out on England’s World Cup squad – behind him
Reggie Watson ran the show against Western Sydney Wanderers despite being just 16 years old
Alonso’s Premier League reign is getting ever closer
Meanwhile, the seniors had sponsorship duties to perform. Colwill, Aaron Anselmino and Tosin Adarabioyo headed to Bondi Beach. Palmer, Joao Pedro, Dario Essugo and Delap attended a Q&A at the headquarters of the club’s pre-season tour partner TMGM. They had a games room at the W, where they could compete at table tennis and darts, the usual.
Chelsea owner Behdad Eghbali came to join the tour before the Tottenham match. His team lost that 2-1, but there’s no need to panic. It’s only pre-season and it can happen.
Along with their sporting directorship team, players were asking questions as news broke of Mykhailo Mudryk’s suspension being lifted – what happened, what it means, what happens next. There are many within the club who are delighted for the Ukrainian after nearly two years of not playing any professional football.
Chelsea’s players departed from Sydney International Airport at lunchtime on Sunday, August 2, bound for Hong Kong on a private plane. At the same time, Mudryk and new signing Danny Welbeck were flying from London to link up with the squad. It’s now just three weeks until the season opener at Fulham. Alonso’s Premier League reign is getting ever closer.
