Chelsea ready for Hong Kong test

New Chelsea boss André Villas-Boas this week returns to Hong Kong set on using the Barclays Asia Trophy to vet a growing Chelsea squad he is still getting to know.

Chelsea returned to form with a convincing 4-0 victory in Thailand on Sunday, after a disappointing showing in Malaysia. They will end their Asian trip with two games in the four-team tournament in Hong Kong.

The London side were due to arrive in Hong Kong on Monday, while Blackburn and Aston Villa touched down over the weekend. Hong Kong champions Kitchee add local flavour to the field.

Four years ago, Villas-Boas attended the Barclays Asia Trophy as a Chelsea scout, using the exhibition tournament to cast an eye over Portsmouth and Liverpool, ahead of English Premier League fixtures against them.

This time, the ex-Porto manager will be preparing for season in charge as he calculates how to bridge the gap that saw Manchester United win the league last season by nine-points.

Villas-Boas announced the signing of 19-year-old midfielder Oriol Romeu from Barcelona in Bangkok, the second stop on the club’s Asian pre-season tour, but the club has said it is close to two more signings.

The 33-year-old manager is sure to be a major attraction in his own right, having completed a £13.3 million move to Chelsea in the summer, which made him the most-expensive managerial transfer.

“Going back to Asia is important to us,” Villas-Boas said ahead of the club’s Asia trip. “It shortens the distance with the Asian public who are following us from a big distance. It is important for them to feel we have respect for them and we are able to feel their heat.”

The 26-man touring squad are all likely to get playing minutes after Villas-Boas fielded separate teams in each half against Malaysia, a game Chelsea laboured to win 1-0, thanks to an own goal that replays showed had not crossed the line.

The teams involved in the Barclays Asia Trophy see the exhibition matches as a vital opportunity both to vet strategy for the season ahead and to promote their brand in Asia.

All three clubs coming to Hong Kong are under foreign ownership, and keen to raise their profile in a part of the world where Manchester United and Liverpool still command the deepest fan base.

To avoid Hong Kong’s blistering summer sun, back-to-back matches will kick off in the early evening on Wednesday.

New Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish will also be casting his eye over the team he joined after his cross-town move from Birmingham City.

McLeish sees the trip as an opportunity for the squad to gel.

“Pre-season is becoming more and more about these tournaments, and you’re going to come across top-class opposition like we do at the Barclays Asia Trophy,” he said.

The Hong Kong tournament will see a debut for new Villa No. 1 Shay Given, after the keeper completed his £3.5 million move from Manchester City.

Aston Villa open the tournament against Blackburn Rovers on Wednesday, with Chelsea then taking on Kitchee.

The matches in the mini-tournament will be settled by penalties after 90 minutes if the score is drawn. The losers play off at 6 p.m. on Saturday, followed by the winners squaring up for the trophy at 8.30 p.m. that night.