Mikel John Obi has lifted the lid on why Chelsea endured a poor 2015/16 season - saying the players were simply not fit enough.
Former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho opted to hand his squad an extended break last summer as a reward for the team winning the Premier League and, earlier in the year, the League Cup trophies.
But the Portuguese coach later admitted the move backfired with Chelsea suffering their worst set of opening results to a season since 1979 - a run that cost Mourinho his job at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea subsequently finished the 2015/16 campaign in 10th place while Antonio Conte was hired to get the club back on track, which the Italian has helped to do - leading the Blues to four wins from seven Premier League games so far this term.
Mikel has now admitted that part of Chelsea's revival under Conte is because of the double training sessions the former Juventus boss put the players through in pre-season, and insisted the improvement in fitness could play a role in helping the team win silverware this term.
"Yes, I think it played a part last season (not being fit enough)," Mikel told Goal. "One thing is for sure, the team is a lot fitter this season. A lot of players are going to be much, much fitter and that is only going to help the team.
"That’s the way he wants to train [with double training sessions], that’s his style, that’s his way that he thinks we can win and that he thinks can get Chelsea back to where they belong. Obviously, quite a lot was made last year that a lot of the players were not fit, so the club decided to go for someone to make sure we are fit.
"The players have responded very well to him, we are going with whatever the manager wants to do in training, everyone is putting in their best and we have to keep going his way.
"We have to make sure we keep doing whatever the manager wants to do and if we can improve the team that way then I think everybody is on board with that."
