Our tour of Australia and Asia has provided Alonso with invaluable, quality time with his squad.

Naturally, the main focus of the Spaniard and his coaching staff has been on the output in training sessions, yet there has also been an appreciation for forging unity and togetherness away from the pitch.

And it's that which Alonso believes can aid his side throughout the 2026/27 Premier League season, which gets underway in just over two weeks with a trip to west London neighbours Fulham.

‘We want to have a great team spirit and that is built on a daily basis with a great culture in the building,’ Alonso explained during a pre-match press conference ahead of our Indonesia Super Cup fixture against Serie A side Milan.

‘That helps in the moment you have to compete. You feel better having that togetherness, trust, and the bonds between the players are so important to ultimately building a winning mentality – and a team that can compete anywhere.

'So the football side is so important, but the mental side is as important. And the strength of the team is the most important.’

Jakarta is the latest stop on our summer tour, with the Blues touching down in the city earlier today (Friday) before undertaking a training session at GBK Stadium in front of a handful of selected guests.

‘This is the perfect time to get close to our supporters from Indonesia, or who can come to Jakarta,’ said Alonso. ‘We know football is global, so while we’re based in London, we have great support everywhere and we see blue shirts wherever we have been.

‘We have been able to train and prepare [during pre-season] and I am very happy with the attitude and personality, we know that it’s a very important part of this tour.’