Chelsea took significant steps to ease the rigours of their trip. They chartered a private Airbus A340, shifted players to Sydney time immediately, and told them to sleep after meals during the journey, which included a stop at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake, Sri Lanka, before arriving in Australia.
They trained at Sky Park, home of Sydney FC, using a compact but high-quality facility, and held a relatively low-intensity open session at Allianz Stadium.
That session highlighted Alonso’s hands-on style. He regularly showcased his passing range and challenged players such as Estevao Willian to deliver crosses with his weaker right foot for team-mates to finish.
Alonso then thumped a 25-yard half-volley into the net to close the workout—a reminder of the class he showed as one of the game’s top midfielders at Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
England defender Levi Colwill admitted he envied Alonso’s ability to hit passes all over the pitch.
Midfielder Romeo Lavia said the manager’s elite playing pedigree is obvious whenever he joins in, noting that only those who have performed at the highest level can strike the ball as he does. As a midfielder, he called it a privilege to learn from him.
Australia’s rugby union head coach—and Chelsea fan—Les Kiss dropped by from nearby team HQ to visit and exchanged shirts with Alonso.
The group included several 16 and 17-year-olds, most notably Sydney-born Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli, who emerged as a standout on the tour with a string of impressive midfield performances.
He also drew strong interest from local media due to his mother’s ties to the city and the possibility he could represent Australia in the future, despite currently playing for England Under-17s.
Younger players enjoyed downtime at the cinema, on boat trips and exploring local culture, while table tennis, darts and video games were available at the team’s luxury hotel overlooking Darling Harbour.
It was a quieter stretch when Chelsea and Tottenham players—who met in front of 80,000 fans on Saturday—were given freedom to explore.
There were sponsor events near Bondi Beach, and a group visit to North Sydney Pool beneath the Harbour Bridge, where players completed a gym session before enjoying the spa and Olympic-sized pool. Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez also appeared on breakfast TV ahead of the match.
Colwill described the tour as excellent for team bonding, although a 6-4 win over Western Sydney Wanderers and a 2-1 loss to Tottenham showed Alonso’s project is still in its early stages.
Insiders said the start felt similar to Mauricio Pochettino’s regime, with a heavy emphasis on fitness, and that tactical work was layered in as senior players returned from international duty.
Across the first three games, Alonso made only minor tweaks to the 4-2-3-1 shape favoured by Maresca and later used during Liam Rosenior’s brief tenure.
Key figures, including co-owner Behdad Eghbali and sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Joe Shields, were in Australia. Transfer work continued across time zones as Chelsea pursued Maxence Lacroix, Danny Welbeck, Jordan Henderson and, later, Spanish defender Pep Chavarria.
Alonso also pulled late arrivals Moises Caicedo and Nicolas Jackson aside for one-to-one sessions after their World Cup commitments, putting them through physical tests while they received passes from the coaching staff.
Australia was also the setting for Cole Palmer’s first pre-match press conference. He was relaxed, smiling and candid, coming across as naturally charismatic.
Alonso was struck by Palmer’s fitness and desire upon his return and called him a leader—something reflected in the way he interacted with the younger players on tour.