Project restart created an unprecedented interest from football media and fans into training, performance and the potential for injury that the return from lockdown has created. As we have mentioned in a number of previous blogs (It’s back, Recovery position, Project restart), Covid-19 presented staff with a number of unique challenges. There was no playbook for lockdown and the extended break it caused. There was no fixed return date to build conditioning towards, and there was no clear understanding of the fixture demands if/when competition was to return.
Sport scientists and coaches had to use a mixture of experience, intuition and research to help them guide players back to match fitness. It is likely they quickly became aware of the research from the NFL’s lockout season in 2011, where Achilles injuries skyrocketed during a shortened pre-season training period. They, likely, also understood that decreases in technical performance have been shown following extended winter breaks in European leagues.
Virgil Van Dijk wearing the Liverpool FC training kit sponsored by AXA
Now the season is back into its accelerated rhythm, another dilemma hangs over the performance team. They have to mix the need to maintain player fitness, ensure players can perform maximally, and be mindful of the need for increased recovery to avoid injury following the increased fixture rate.
For players in the starting XI, the workload and therefore adaptive stimulus they are exposed to during games will have a significant impact in helping achieve full match fitness. However, recent research overseen by Dr Marco Beato (2020) has shown that players who don’t start games suffer from a lack of training compared to those that do start games. In particular, this includes covering significantly less distance at high-speed and lower total playing time as part of their overall fitness regime. The second point sounds obvious, but with a congested fixture schedule, games have to form a significant part of players conditioning strategies. This means that with the Premier League now allowing five substitutes, which offers the chance to change half the outfield side during a game, those subs may not receive the training stimulus they need to perform at the faster speeds typically provided by matches. This could limit their performance and mean they are able to offer less impact when they do come off the bench.
If non-starting players are not receiving enough training stimulus it may take them longer to achieve full match fitness, putting extra pressure on teams ‘starters’. This means the first XI may be required to increase the game time they play, exposing them to increased injury risk and missing games. If these vital players have to be replaced by squad or even fringe players in games and they’re not fit enough to perform at the levels needed, team performance will inevitably suffer.
The intricacies of squad training are fascinating. An increased sport science presence has led to greater understanding and wider-reaching player support in terms of mental, physical, emotional and tactical awareness. Across elite-level European football we are on the cusp of greater individuality regarding training. At the moment, the split between starters and non-starters sees players conducting different sessions particularly in the 48 hours post-match. This is because some players must focus on recovery while others need the fitness stimulus that they are not getting from playing.
Upon the restart, Liverpool Manager, Jürgen Klopp was asked why he didn’t start a number of his star players during the Merseyside derby. His response was simply that the sport science team had told him they shouldn’t start. He then demonstrated the increased influence that the performance team at Liverpool FC has by saying “Why would I hire them if I’m not going to listen to them”. The responsibility for player fitness, recovery and readiness is now a team game. It’s the performance team’s role to be across the science, use it’s experience and devise new interventions which support players as individuals and the squad as a whole.
It is in these performance stories that training partners have the chance to differentiate themselves from other club partners and engage with fans across the globe. The 90 minutes on the pitch are the accumulation of hours of preparation in the gym, at the training ground and out on the practice pitches. As these preparations become increasingly sophisticated the content options for partners increases with them. The challenge for those partners is whether they have the requisite expertise and support from within the clubs to turn their rights into quality content that engages insight thirsty fans. If they don’t, then we know an agency that can help…
Sport Science Agency uses its insight and expertise to tell performance stories and unlocks their value for brands, broadcasters and rights holders. If you want to know more about what we can do for you, drop us a note via info@sportscienceagency.com and we can arrange to go for a healthy vitamin packed drink.