Cardiff City: Fitness key to survival hopes in Premier League
- Published
Joe Ralls gets on the ball in Cardiff's 1-1 draw with Torquay United
Joe Ralls believes fitness could be the key to survival in the Premier League for Cardiff City.
Ralls, 24, says the Bluebirds need to work harder in pre-season to prepare for the extra quality they will come up against in the Premier League.
"We know we have to be one of the fittest sides," he told BBC Sport Wales on Cardiff's pre-season tour.
"There is going to be plenty of quality up there, so we will have to outwork a lot of teams."
He continued: "For us this pre-season is very important. For all the boys it is about getting minutes in the bank and hoping that by the time the League comes around, we are fit and ready to go."
Cardiff have played three games on their pre-season tour of Devon and Cornwall, beating Tavistock Town (6-0) and Bodmin Town (11-1) before a more competitive 1-1 draw at Torquay.
Wing Nathaniel Mendez-Laing believes the pre-season regime under manager Neil Warnock is as tough as he has experienced.
"The training is very intense. We know what the run is going to be like in the season, so we are all putting it in," he said.