Gary Cahill is no stranger to a gruelling pre-season tour.
Our legendary former defender encountered many during his trophy-laden career. However, he won’t be out on the grass this summer in Australia, instead he’s out in the community meeting Chelsea fans in Sydney, working as a club ambassador.
It represents a first visit for him to New South Wales, and our former skipper is excited to explore the city of Sydney.
However, he will be keeping a close eye on how the squad are shaping up on the pitch under new manager Xabi Alonso, with Cahill believing this period of pre-season is key for any success in the season ahead.
We sat down with Gary at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney during our open training session earlier this week, ahead of our first fixture of the tour against Western Sydney Wanderers – which you can stream live via CFC+ on the Chelsea Official App.
The burning question we had to put to Gary first was simple. Do you miss being a player and getting involved in pre-season training?
‘Do you know what, I normally don’t miss it when I’m working as a pundit or watching on TV but when you’re in and amongst it, I really do!’ Cahill explained, with a smile across his face.
‘But it’s great to watch the lads up close and to feel part of the group again. And I’m excited to represent the club here in Sydney.’
It’s a first visit to Australia for our former No.24 and Sydney is a city he’s keen to get to know better during his stay here.
‘It’s great to be in Sydney and this is actually my first time in Australia,’ our former skipper said.
‘We came to Perth with Chelsea a few years back, but I didn’t go on that trip. So it’s really nice to be here and the first impressions of the country and really good.
I managed to have a little walk around earlier. We’re close to the harbour, so I walked along there and saw the Sydney Opera House, the bridge, and then did a few bits of sightseeing this morning, which was nice.
‘I’m here in an ambassadorial role, so then it was out to an event in the community where I met some local kids playing in a football tournament, and that was great to be involved with. I’ll also be meeting supporters while I’m here too, so that’s a really fun part of this role.
‘I'm looking forward to the week, meeting lots of people, lots of Chelsea fans in Sydney and just excited to explore a bit more too.’
While Cahill is working hard in the community, the players are putting in the work on the pitch. Xabi Alonso has been putting his new squad through their paces, with the former England international all too familiar with what is required in this period to be successful later in the season.
Cahill, who won every trophy on offer during his time at Stamford Bridge, believes pre-season tours – where you’re in the company of team-mates for an extended period of time – is the perfect environment for Alonso to get to know his players and put the building blocks in place for the campaign ahead.
‘It’s a great opportunity for the new manager to get to know his players and for the players to understand what he wants from them,’ added Gary.
‘He’ll get to know his players on the pitch but also off the pitch, in terms of personality and I think that’s so important for building a good team spirit.
‘This is a time where points aren’t on offer, so it gives him the flexibility to have a real look at his squad and try a few things out in the games ahead.
‘And likewise for the players, it’s a clean slate for them to impress. First impressions are obviously big, so I'm sure they'll be looking to do that in the games, in the training sessions, to try and get themselves in this team ready to start the season.
‘The pre-season is obviously geared for conditioning the players for the new season, but playing in front of such a passionate fanbase as we’ve seen so far in Australia will mean a lot, and I know the club really appreciate the support they get from all around the world.’