EXCLUSIVE
Chelsea captain Gary Cahill is focused on ensuring the club does not suffer the kind of post-title slump they endured two seasons ago.
After a shambolic start to the 2015-16 campaign, the Blues sacked Jose Mourinho and ultimately finished a disappointing 10th in the Premier League.
However, under Antonio Conte last term, they stormed their way to the title and their new skipper is determined to keep standards that high.
Speaking to Goal following the club's International Champions Cup (ICC) loss to Bayern Munich, Cahill said: "I think a lot of the lads in our squad right now were involved in that situation. They have had the experience once and they don’t want that experience again. We will work even harder."
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The memories from that fateful season are still vivid in Cahill's mind and the 31-year-old has implored his team-mates to keep producing the kind of performances that won them the title last season.
"It’s obviously very difficult to keep winning the title back-to-back. You have seen that with Leicester last season," he said. "It proved very tough. So we have to be mindful of that. And we need to do even more than what we did last year. That’s the only way.
"Like I said, there are quite a few players still in the squad who were involved in that. We know what that feeling was like and we don’t want that again."
The former Bolton Wanderers defender also shared his excitement at the signing of Alvaro Morata to lead the Blues' strikeforce.
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"It’s great to have such a great player. He will be a great addition to the squad," Cahill added.
"There is no doubt about that. It’s more clear than said. He has won a lot of things already at such a young age. So it’s exciting for us as players to have someone like that involved now."
Chelsea have already signed German defender Antonio Rudiger and French midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko in addition to Morata as they prepare for a crucial season.