Ben Chilwell names the first thing Mauricio Pochettino changed at Chelsea training ground after taking over

Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell has been speaking about the transformative effect manager Mauricio Pochettino has had on the team already. The defender, who at age 26 is already one of the older members of the squad, says they will literally run through wall for the Argentine manager.

Last season Chelsea sunk incredibly low, finishing 12th, scoring 38 goals, and losing to bottom-placed Southampton at home for the first time in almost two decades.

Four managers came and went but the performances on the field just did not improve and now it's all on former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino to try and turn things around.

The first signs are already impressive after dispatching League Two side Wrexham, they then recovered from a goal down to beat Premier League and first-time Europa League contesters Brighton and Hove Albion. An entertaining 1-1 with Newcastle United who finished fourth last season followed.

All of a sudden things are looking up again at Chelsea and defender Chilwell who is looking forward to the new season says Pochettino immediately identified they were not fit enough and corrected it straight away.

He is quoted by the Evening Standard: “Last season we weren’t fit enough if we’re being honest, so every player in the squad agreed that was what we needed — and it wasn’t just the first week, it’s continued.

“The first week was a bit of a shock for everyone. It reminded me of going back to youth team days when we used to call it getting ‘beasted”.

Chelsea have gone through an incredible reconstruction in the last two months with almost 15 players leaving, including loan deals and contract termination. In has come the likes of Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson, while talks are still ongoing with Brighton for Moises Caicedo.

The mountain of exits means even at the age of 26 Chilwell is one of the oldest in the team and admits he’d be delighted to be considered for the captainship when Pochettino finally names his leader for the new era.

He added: “I would love to be captain I was captain of the youth team at Leicester. Whether I get it or not, it’s not going to take away from my role.

“I don’t think you need an armband to be a leader so whether I get it or I don’t I’ll continue to do what I’m doing.”

Chilwell joined Chelsea from Leicester in 2020 on a five-year deal and immediately established himself as one of the cornerstones of the side- winning the Champions League in his first season and for large part has been worth every penny so far.