Chelsea stars 'made token gym appearances and left early' previously
Chelsea stars ‘made token gym appearances and left early’ under previous managers but Mauricio Pochettino is raising standards
- Chelsea players ‘used to put in minimal effort and time into club gym sessions’
- Stars reportedly would make token appearances when told to then leave early
- But standards are said to be much higher under new boss Mauricio Pochettino
Chelsea players used to put in minimal time and effort into club-mandated gym sessions, according to eye-opening new reports.
The Premier League side were thrown into disarray last summer, with former Russian owner Roman Abramovich forced to sell the club to American tycoon Todd Boehly amid his country’s invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
Chelsea insisted they would not resort to the fire-and-hire tactics of Abramovich, before dismissing Thomas Tuchel in September, axing Graham Potter in April after just 31 games, and appointing Frank Lampard as interim boss, who lost eight and won just one of his 11 games in charge amid huge off-field turmoil last campaign.
And as reported by The Athletic, the hugely oversized squad and widespread player dissatisfaction resulted in stars making token appearances at the gym when told to, before leaving early.
Overall standards and squad morale were understood to be low. But new manager Mauricio Pochettino, who took over in May, is understood to have dramatically improved standards, physically and otherwise.
Chelsea players used to put in minimal time and effort into gym sessions, according to reports
But standards are said to have improved dramatically under new manager Mauricio Pochettino
Former Tottenham and PSG coach Pochettino has introduced gruelling double fitness sessions
Sources close to senior players told the Athletic that this pre-season has been the most physically demanding for a number of years, with overall levels ‘significantly higher’ than under previous managers.
Argentine Pochettino has introduced double sessions and every session at the Cobham training ground is filmed and monitored closely for those doing particularly well or badly.
It seems players, knowing coaching staff are watching their physical work like a hawk, are carrying out full workouts rather than doing half the job like before.
Chelsea announced their 29-man squad for their pre-season tour of the US on Monday
Argentine boss Pochettino is only taking six midfielders with him on Chelsea’s tour of the US
Conor Gallagher (left) and Enzo Fernandez (right) are his only senior midfielders on the tour
A threadbare Blues squad jetted off on Tuesday for their pre-season tour of America containing just six midfielders.
More alarmingly, those six midfielders – Enzo Fernandez, Conor Gallagher, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lewis Hall, Andrey Santos and Cesare Casadei – have averaged just 7.6 starts in the Premier League each.
World Cup winner Fernandez and Gallagher are the Blues’ only senior central midfielders in the squad, leaving Pochettino with a selection headache already.
The Argentine managed 18 Premier League starts in his debut campaign for the club last season following his record £107million move from Benfica in January, while Gallagher has racked up the same amount since making his Chelsea debut in 2022.
Chukwuemeka, 19, has only been named in the starting line-up twice for Chelsea, having arrived from Aston Villa in 2022.
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