Chelsea have completed a week of the USA pre-season tour and are standing tall. Two wins and nine goals have got Mauricio Pochettino's tenure as Chelsea head coach off to a dream start following a 12-month period where such outcomes have not arrived easily.

While the pressure of managing the Blues has not yet intensified for Pochettino, heat and humidity certainly has during the club's time across the Atlantic. Both Chapel Hill, North Carolina and and Philadelphia have brought temperatures in excess of 30 degrees as the west London side regularly complete two training sessions each day. The squad did not even scarper when the sprinklers turned on in the middle of a drill during one session.

Early results have brought a positivity that was not present on Chelsea's pre-season tour a year ago. Discontent with training facilities, a commitment to players destined to depart Stamford Bridge and strained relationships ensured a difficult time in 2022.

Perception is everything in many ways, and while some players only found out they would be travelling with the squad the day they flew out, and others know their future will lie elsewhere come the start of the season, there is a sense of progress that cannot be ignored. Pochettino has made it clear that he plans to continue providing opportunities and managing minutes across a busy schedule, and with his squad yet to be complete.

It is clear that the former Spurs boss is working his team relentlessly. His demand for perfection and the intensity he desires has been present in training, while Marc Cucurella has commented on enjoying seeing his teammates in pain.

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While that has been the case, he was patient with his stars in North Carolina, with Levi Colwill, Mykhailo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez and Noni Madueke seeing their training being more limited and being left out of the squad to face Wrexham. The same approach was taken with Reece James after he arrived late to the squad following illness too.

Pochettino has cut a relaxed character in his press conferences so far and has appeared content with the facilities his side have been provided with. He has been unafraid to share a joke on the whole, but has also squeezed in a couple of messages too. If playing Colwill for so long against Brighton wasn't enough, his statement following the game said everything.

Jesus Perez has been a keen observer each time Pochettino has faced the media, with multiple members of the head coach's staff in the room when he previewed the game. How much he values his assistant has quickly become evident, and his influence is clear as he acts as a conduit in a number of areas.

Encouragingly, progress is being made with the team too. The patterns Chelsea showed in the early training sessions, as Pochettino cajoled his players to perform every instance with care, and drove his team to recover to their positions to repeat their actions, started to appear against Brighton. It feels like the club are moving forwards.

Chelsea were provided a late day off by Pochettino and his staff, and the likes of Thiago Silva and Angelo Gabriel went to a gun range in Philadelphia, while others explore the city. They will be back to work on Monday before travelling to Atlanta in time for pre-match duties on Tuesday ahead of facing Newcastle

Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley have all been present on the tour so far, perhaps a sign of the business that is still required for Pochettino to achieve the balanced squad he requires. The 51-year-old even explicitly said that he would like to see experience added to the group at his disposal.

Progress in those departments would certainly inspire continued vigour in Chelsea's work, with almost two weeks remaining of the tour despite being two matches in. Sustaining the progress as the Blues move to three more cities will be Pochettino and co's test.