One year ago, Newcastle United were undercooked, underprepared and - to put it bluntly - unfit ahead of the Premier League campaign. How do we know this? Because Callum Wilson told us.
“I'd say, (in the) first game of the season, we weren't fit enough in terms of being ready for a Premier League fixture,” he told his Footballer’s Football podcast last December. “We weren't fit enough and we weren't in the right place. The pre-season is massive for the way it sets you up for the season.
“Every manager has different philosophies in terms of how to get players fit. Ours would have been different to yours, but come day one you're hoping that you've put the work in and you're in a good place.”
