Before the Blues left the USA and returned to England, Nathalie Björn wrote our final tour diary entry, talking about her first pre-season at Chelsea and the work done in the States.
This was my first pre-season trip with Chelsea. I really enjoyed it. I was a bit nervous coming back in the summer because I had never done it at the club before, having only signed in January, but it was a mixture of nervousness and excitement.
I was looking forward to working with the new team and starting preparations for my first full season as a Chelsea player.
When I came here at the beginning of the year, it was always “go, go, go!” I started playing right away and didn’t have much time to process everything. The tour was a great way for me to relax a bit and understand things a bit better.
I think I felt a lot of the emotions now that I should have felt when I signed, but maybe I didn’t at the time because it was so intense and we were so busy with all our games.
It was a good opportunity to get closer to the girls. Of course I already knew them well, but we were together the whole trip and that only helps us get to know each other even better.
We have a few new players and I know what it feels like to be part of the team because I only recently joined, so I’ve spent a lot of time with them. Of course, I’ve also spent a lot of time with my Swedish friends because they are particularly close to my heart.
Preseason is about being ready for the season as a team and as an individual. I think I’ve made good progress here in America, but I’m not where I want to be yet. It’s a process and it takes time.
Sonia is very patient. She has made it clear to the team that it is OK to make mistakes as long as we learn from them and understand how she wants us to play and what she expects from us.
Working with the new team has been very good. They want to take us to the next level and I think we have the chance to do our best. We want to keep the ball and be effective when we can. It’s about high pressure and intensity – about having the game under control.
Once we’re back in England, it won’t be long until the season starts and in my first full season I want to play as much as possible and do everything I can to help the team.
We start the season as reigning league champions and do not want to give up this title.
Being at Chelsea means winning and if we keep doing what Sonia wants us to do and build those relationships on the pitch, then I think we can achieve anything we want to achieve.
