Alonso's pre-season diary: We've made great progress & gained more understanding in the past 2 weeks

On August 10, Chelsea's official website published head coach Xabi Alonso's pre-season tour diary, where he reflected on the fulfilling time he and the players spent in Australia and Asia.

Alonso wrote:

Pre-season tours are always very intense. You have to keep moving, training, playing, and then moving to different places. But my feeling is that over the past two weeks, we've made great progress and gained more important insights into the players.

Undoubtedly, we have learned more about the team's footballing situation. We have played 5 matches and gained a lot of positive things. The team's tempo and energy have remained consistently good, and we have seen the principles we want the team to display.

We can still get better, and we definitely will, but we are satisfied with the work we are doing. Now, back at Cobham, we will continue to refine our philosophy. We want the team to be more versatile and unpredictable in their style of play. The more options we have, the more threats we can create, and the better the team will become.

This takes time. Of course, when the Premier League season starts with an away game against Fulham, we will certainly be ready to compete; I can guarantee that to you fans. However, our development as a team will not stop there. This is a process that will take months, and every match will help us.

This tour was also personally significant. We spent every day together, which helped us understand the players better and build connections with each other.

We were able to welcome some new players into the group. Mykhailo Mudryk also returned to the team, which was an emotional moment for everyone at the club. We are delighted to have him fighting alongside us again.

We want to have an excellent team spirit. I believe this is key to supporting the team through a long season. When you play games and face difficulties, unity and trust can help you find solutions.

The team is the most important, and that has always been our message. We have already seen players supporting each other on the pitch during games, and we need to continue that.

I also have to thank all the fans who came to support us during the tour. Chelsea is one of the biggest clubs in the world, and we felt what this club means to people in different countries and regions.

We never take any of this for granted. In Sydney, Hong Kong, Jakarta, and Johor, we received a very warm welcome. Although we were far from London, everyone made us feel at home.

Of course, in the coming week, we will return to Cobham to continue preparing for the new season. We still have one pre-season match left, against a club that is very important to my life: Real Sociedad.

They are a very good opponent, and I am very much looking forward to my first game as head coach at Stamford Bridge and meeting our fans there.

We want to fight for important goals this season, and as always, Chelsea fans will play a crucial role in helping us achieve those goals.

See you at the weekend.

AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com