Raheem Sterling speaks out on how things have drastically changed at Chelsea
Chelsea star Raheem Sterling has opened up about life under new boss Mauricio Pochettino, with the squad being put through his notoriously brutal fitness drills.
Pochettino has taken over a side whose 12th placed finish last season was their worst in almost 30 years and one of his biggest tasks is to up Chelsea's fitness levels. Before the month-long break for the World Cup, only Crystal Palace had covered less distance than Chelsea while caretaker boss Frank Lampard admitted in April the players simply were not fit enough.
And Pochettino, whose Tottenham side was renowned for its fitness levels, is looking to address this issue in training. "It is probably the most I have run in a long time, but it is good," Sterling admitted, with Chelsea currently in the US for their pre-season training camp.
"In my position, when I am at my best is when I do those actions repeatedly again and again and it has been good, building. When I first heard that he [Pochettino] was going to be the manager I think it was an exciting one because of the many years I have played against his teams and I know how difficult it is to play against his teams.
"They are always resilient. They are always tough to play against. I knew he would be a coach who would bring what we needed. To have someone like him to lead us in certain difficult situations last season would have been good.
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"So [when I heard he was going to be appointed] I was really optimistic of what he would bring." Pochettino, meanwhile, revealed he wants to see even more players leave the club this summer following the permanent exits of 13 senior stars including Kai Havertz, N'Golo Kante, Mason Mount and captain Cesar Azpilicueta.
"You need 23, 24, max 25, keeper included," he explained. "We don't need 30-35 players. We need to be right in how we choose profile and balance is most important. Sometimes you get the balance with less than more.
Pochettino has been putting Chelsea through their paces at their pre-season training camp in the US (Getty Images)Mirror Football is now on Threads!
"It's not that you cannot manage, the problem is players who are not going to play, where will they get the motivation? It's not going to be easy for them first, we cannot ask them to be happy every day, we cannot blame the players.
"We need to be clear and to be strong in our decision and be right in the numbers of players if we think there can be injuries or suspended but not so big." However, he is also hoping to sign new players while in the US.
“What do you think? As soon as possible of course," he added. "Any coach would want to close the squad as soon as possible. If it’s not possible, no problem. I am happy how we are working to improve the squad."
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