Inside Xabi Alonso’s Chelsea start, from shining in staff match against youngsters to golf bonding sessions

AUSTRALIA was probably not top of the list for Xabi Alonso to start his Chelsea revolution. You could forgive the new Blues boss for not jumping for joy when, having agreed to take over, he was told the other side of the world would be his first port of call after Cobham. Xabi Alonso has embraced life as the new Chelsea boss and is loving it Credit: Getty Alonso’s prolific playing career is already earning him respect within the Chelsea dressing room Credit: Getty However, where previous Chelsea tours have largely brought scandal and disgruntled coaches – Alonso has looked a picture of calm contentment, away from the dugout at least. If anything, a trip to Sydney gives a new manager the chance to get under the skin of his players and new colleagues. Sign up for the Football newsletter Thank you! That process began even before they took off. The week before the Chelsea circus took off for Australia and Asia, Alonso decided some early bonding was in order. A staff match was arranged on the pristine pitches of Cobham. Alonso, the staff he had brought with him and a number of others from the first team building at the training ground took some whipper-snappers from the club and, frankly, stuffed them. To the surprise of no one, the new manager was prolific when it came to teeing up the goals. There was serious work to do before departure, too. The club sports scientists devised a plan for players, coaches and all levels of club staff to beat jet lag on their flight from Gatwick, via Sri Lanka, down to Sydney. It involved switching to Australian time as soon as they boarded the flight in Sussex, sleeping as quickly as possible once airborne and disembarking for a stretch at the stopover. Some were more successful than others, with some of the squad reporting sleeping 10 hours on their first night, though Alonso had not quite shaken the sleepiness a few days in. Most read in Sport SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET UP TO £100 BONUS The Chelsea boss has been keen on bonding and creating a working atmosphere for all players in pre-season Credit: Getty Similar plans would have been in place ahead of boarding their chartered Airbus A340 for a near ten hour flight from Sydney to Hong Kong. Despite any lingering jet lag, the Spaniard managed a swift couple of scenic 10 kilometre runs from their base, the W Hotel in Darling Harbour. The World Cup winner remains in remarkable shape and manages to tick along at a commendable four minutes, 30 seconds a kilometre at 44-years-old. There was more bonding, for both players and staff, too. Alonso, a keen golfer, managed to fit in a round with club staff in order to get some precious one-on-one time with figures he is still new to working with. Players visited a yet-to-open swimming pool in the shadow of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, while a few headed to the scenic Ice Bergs club overlooking Bondi Beach. Younger players, with some as young as 16 on the trip, were encouraged to get out and see the sights, keeping busy to avoid staying shut away in rooms for as long as possible. Some were joined by family. Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, the England youth midfielder born in Sydney and a favourite topic of the local press, was joined by his mother and younger brother, who was allowed to take in training at the Allianz Stadium. It was not all nicey-nice getting to know you jaunts Down Under, however. Alonso worked them hard and, despite many being impressed with his ice-cool demeanor, his deep frustration following a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham did not go unnoticed. Alonso had been upset that a number of ideas worked on ahead of the game had not been replicated against their London rivals, while few were happy that they ended up facing ten men after Kevin Danso’s red card. The Chelsea Blueprint on YouTube Calling all Chelsea fans - we have a brand new YouTube channel! Chelsea ticket and hospitality deals GET tickets to see Chelsea home games at Stamford Bridge with these official deals. The packages include optional upgrades to VIP hospitality. ⚽ 30 Aug v Brighton — BOOK HERE ⚽ 12 Sep v Hull — BOOK HERE ⚽ 10 Oct v Bournemouth — BOOK HERE ⚽ 24 Oct v Spurs — BOOK HERE ⚽ 31 Oct v Man United — BOOK HERE More games available here. *If you click on a link in this article, we will earn affiliate revenue. Players responded well to training. Balls were involved in warm-ups at the start of sessions while many noted that there was less focus on rigid patterns of play, a welcome change from previous managers. Chelsea used Sydney FC’s Sky Park as their base for the week in Australia, where cockatoos and kookaburras made a racket as they observed from eucalyptus trees dotted around the site in northern Sydney. Senior staff from both clubs met over coffee to exchange ideas while Alonso also got the chance to pick the brains of Wallabbies head coach Les Kis ahead of their first training session in the city. Rugby Australia’s offices are based next to the Allianz Stadium, where Chelsea trained in front of more than 5,000 local supporters, and the Blues boss did not need telling who Kis was – already an admirer of his work. As always with Chelsea, there was news no one was expecting – with a £10million FA fine for dodgy dealings under the previous ownership finally confirmed and the surprise return of Mykhailo Mudryk from his doping ban. Given the track record of previous Blues trips overseas, where coaches have been seething, big injuries have been picked up and the club has faced racism scandals, their week as far away from home as you can get went rather well. Comment now