Xabi Alonso adapting to whirlwind Chelsea pre-season after Juventus loss in Hong Kong

Xabi Alonso said he had to “adapt to the circumstances” of a helter-skelter pre-season tour, as Chelsea prepared to jet to Indonesia following their 1-0 Hong Kong Football Festival defeat by Juventus on Wednesday.

Edon Zhegrova curled in a superb 20-yard winner after 68 minutes at Kai Tak Stadium, inflicting a second straight defeat on Chelsea after their 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in Sydney five days earlier.

Manager Alonso, who was unhappy with a patchy-looking Kai Tak playing surface, sent on Mykhailo Mudryk with eight minutes remaining for the Ukrainian’s first appearance since his November 2024 ban for an anti-doping breach.

Chelsea will face AC Milan in Jakarta on Saturday, before travelling to Malaysia for a game against local side Johor Tarul Ta’zim 24 hours later.

“We know that in any tour you have to adapt to the circumstances, to the context,” Alonso said. “It’s not the same as training in [regular base] Cobham with everything under control. But, so far, it’s been a great experience.

“In Hong Kong, we had a great welcome, it’s a great city that we’re enjoying. For sure, the pitch could be better, but it is what it is.”

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