Chelsea’s Fitness Crisis Has a Clear Answer — and Palmer Is Leading It

Cole Palmer came second in Chelsea’s pre-season bleep test – and after a season where we were outrun in 37 of 38 league matches, that kind of data point matters more than it ever has before.

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Nizaar Kinsella reported on Wednesday that Palmer was among Chelsea’s best performers in the bleep test during the opening days of pre-season, finishing second and highlighting that he is in top physical condition upon returning back for pre-season. Estevao Willian and Reggie Walsh were also named alongside him as standout performers in the fitness assessment.

Palmer setting the tone – exactly what Alonso needs

Kinsella added context that puts this in sharp relief: Chelsea were outrun in 37 of their 38 league matches last season. That is an extraordinary statistic, and it explains precisely why the fitness work is being prioritised in the early stages – with Kinsella highlighting the need to focus on fitness after that run.

When your best player is also near the top of the running test, it sends a message through the whole squad. Palmer arriving in top physical condition for the pre-season return is genuinely encouraging. It suggests the squad are responding to the early focus on conditioning.

The tactical work comes later, with tactics coming later in additional friendlies with Crawley and Bromley, as Kinsella pointed out. But the physical baseline has to be established first, and early training at Cobham suggests the staff are taking that seriously. Palmer showing up among the top performers in the fitness test is exactly the kind of thing that sets a standard others have to match.

Frankly, this is what we want to see from him under a new manager. No question marks about his application, no easing in gently – just straight to the front of the pack.

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