Chelsea's extensive pre-season tour has seen the club visit Sydney, Hong Kong, and Jakarta before finishing in Iskandar Puteri, Malaysia. New manager Xabi Alonso set a remarkable pace of four minutes 30 seconds per kilometre when running off the jetlag. Alonso was on the winning side in a staff match before the squad flew out.
Alonso used the pre-season tour to focus on key tactical elements, despite the demands of travel and fatigue. He changed little about the 4-2-3-1 approach favoured by former manager Enzo Maresca in the first three matches. Alonso was impressed by Cole Palmer's fitness and hunger on his return, describing him as a "leader". Mykhailo Mudryk made his comeback as a substitute against Juventus last Wednesday.
New set-piece coach Austin MacPhee assumed a prominent role within training sessions. Alonso's attacking patterns became more visible during the tour. Joao Pedro scored twice in a 3-0 win against AC Milan to take his tally to six goals in as many games. The team now has two weeks at Cobham to reset before facing Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, 15 August.