Chelsea stars arrive in Asia for pre-season tour

Last updated : 18 July 2011 By Daily Mail

The Blues will take on Malaysia XI on Thursday, and Thailand All Stars on Saturday before concluding their tour on July 27 against Hong Kong side Kitchee.

In demand: Blues skipper John Terry is mobbed by fans in Malaysia ahead of Andre Villas-Boas' (below) first pre-season tour

Chelsea are already two games into their pre-season campaign following successive wins against Portsmouth and Wycombe Wanderers.

And new manager Andre Villas-Boas, who has taken a 26-man squad with him to Asia, has urged his players to prove they're worth a place in his line-up when the new campaign kicks off on August 13.

Sign on: Didier Drogba arrives in Malaysia to a hero's welcome as Fernando Torres signs autographs

'I have 15 days in Asia and I think I need those four games to continue to assess,' Villas-Boas said.

'Probably when we get back we have a week running into a game with Rangers and I think from then on decisions will have to be taken to be ready for the first game of the season.

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'I gave them that flexibility from the beginning. Normally people are expected to arrive at Chelsea and make radical changes but we are taking everything on board before taking the right decisions.

'All of these players are experienced and have won a lot in their careers. So it is not just this 33-year-old arriving and showing them the way. It's more them who show the way forward.'

Villas-Boas will put his squad through their paces on Monday evening at the Shah Alam Stadium in Kuala Lumpur, before their first game against a Malaysia XI side, who were soundly beaten by Arsenal last week.

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Source: Daily Mail

Source: Daily Mail