Throughout Chelsea's pre-season tour we will be catching up with Blues players to hear first-hand about the trip and life under new manager Xabi Alonso. First to give us his thoughts is midfielder Romeo Lavia...
The Chelsea badge is recognised and respected around the world. We’re seeing that again here in Sydney; the reception we’ve received has been amazing.
It emphasises why these tours are important. Supporters who can’t get to Stamford Bridge can have that Chelsea experience – and we’ve seen how passionate the fans are from the moment we landed. From the hotel to open training, they’ve made themselves seen and heard.
We’re really enjoying Sydney. We arrived on Saturday night and had a bit of a walk to get the long flight out of our legs. That helped us explore a bit of the city and, while the focus is on the work, hopefully we’ll see more in the days ahead.
As players, these two weeks are important. Maybe even more than we realise at the time. We have a great group, but when you’re together day in, day out, discovering new places in the world and creating new memories, you become closer. That unity helps when you’re out on the pitch.
We have all enjoyed working under the new manager, and he has great experience in the game. Pre-season so far has been about getting the basics in place to build on, because we want to have a great season.
Of course, the manager was a great player, one of the best of his generation. You see that when he steps into a training session. He starts pinging balls around in a way only those who have played at the top level can. It’s a privilege to be working with him, especially as a midfielder.
Personally, I’m feeling good. I did a lot of work with people at the club to ensure I was ready and could start pre-season strong once we got going. Now come the games, and we’re looking forward to getting out in front of the fans.
People I’ve spoken to at the hotel and in the street have said it will be a good game against Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday. Hopefully, it’s a good match and we make our supporters happy. Then comes Tottenham…