Fitness and the Midfield

[robbiez666]

My memory isn't the best, but I'm pretty sure that for the first half of last season we ran around more than we have this season and had much better stamina. We looked fitter than most teams we played and kept going to the end.

Obviously, confidence gives you an extra spring to your step, but we've looked less fit than our opposition this season, so far. The problem seems to be particularly in midfield, albeit it has affected everyone.. All the midfielders have looked knackered around 60 minutes onwards and we simply don't have the players in the squad to come on and give us some extra legs.

As against Fulham today, we tire and the opposition find they can run at us through the middle without a great deal of resistance. Midfield is unable to follow runs are get out in time. We seem to compensate for this by then going long.

For me, this is the area which needs addressing asap.

 

[A Storm of Blades]

If we’re going with grafters, then they need to graft!

 

[DronnieBlade]

Sander and Amps in a 2 in midfield for me now JF out.

Dids in the 10 behind a front 2.

Shit or bust !!!!

UTB

 

[ashsufc1889]

Get Tony Daley back. Fittest teams we've ever had

 

[Davalon]

Since returning from lockdown our fitness has often looked reduced to me

 

[bromtom]

The Comms that I watched was saying that players aren't fully fit yet because there hasn't been a full preseason, he said it as though this is the case for multiple teams.

I find this hard to wrap my head around.

Surely we should be fit by now? We've played 6 games in all competitions, and played 4(?) in preseason.

It's our stamina though, it's absolutely shocking, we look fine for 60ish minutes, plenty of running and drive, and then look totally shagged out for the last 20-30 minutes, usually we concede at some point around this time, and we're too fucked to do anything about it really.

Some questions to be asked of our fitness and conditioning guys.

 

[robbiez666]

Since returning from lockdown our fitness has often looked reduced to me

Thing is, we messed up the training during lockdown and over-trained everyone. That seems to have just carried on into the new season.

 

[LS16Blade]

I've never subscribed to the idea that we are a physically fit team.

We have a couple of individuals who are extremely fit - namely Baldock and Basham - but in general at the top level that we are at, the other sides are on the whole physically fitter, faster and more powerful than us. And, that's not especially surprising as the top players are not only technically better but also better athletes.

 

[Davalon]

Thing is, we messed up the training during lockdown and over-trained everyone. That seems to have just carried on into the new season.

You do have to wonder.

We made a big point of saying how much fitness work we were doing during lockdown and many were commenting on how other teams weren't doing as much.

When the restart came we looked knackered and other teams looked fresh.

 

[Niceguyeddie]

My memory isn't the best, but I'm pretty sure that for the first half of last season we ran around more than we have this season and had much better stamina. We looked fitter than most teams we played and kept going to the end.

Obviously, confidence gives you an extra spring to your step, but we've looked less fit than our opposition this season, so far. The problem seems to be particularly in midfield, albeit it has affected everyone.. All the midfielders have looked knackered around 60 minutes onwards and we simply don't have the players in the squad to come on and give us some extra legs.

As against Fulham today, we tire and the opposition find they can run at us through the middle without a great deal of resistance. Midfield is unable to follow runs are get out in time. We seem to compensate for this by then going long.

For me, this is the area which needs addressing asap.

We had a pre season then

 

[robbiez666]

I've never subscribed to the idea that we are a physically fit team.

We have a couple of individuals who are extremely fit - namely Baldock and Basham - but in general at the top level that we are at, the other sides are on the whole physically fitter, faster and more powerful than us. And, that's not especially surprising as the top players are not only technically better but also better athletes.

I agree in terms of physique. We're not a team of athletes. Actually, largely, the opposite. However, we've always seemed to get 110% out of players in terms of workrate and conditioning. Which made up for this as many Premier League players don't put a shift in.

 

[robbiez666]

The Comms that I watched was saying that players aren't fully fit yet because there hasn't been a full preseason, he said it as though this is the case for multiple teams.

I find this hard to wrap my head around.

Surely we should be fit by now? We've played 6 games in all competitions, and played 4(?) in preseason.

It's our stamina though, it's absolutely shocking, we look fine for 60ish minutes, plenty of running and drive, and then look totally shagged out for the last 20-30 minutes, usually we concede at some point around this time, and we're too fucked to do anything about it really.

Some questions to be asked of our fitness and conditioning guys.

I was shocked by the Wolves game. They'd had something like 29 days off and not really trained and yet they looked fitter for 707 minutes of the game. I had assumed the teams in Europe would struggle at the start of the season given they had no pre-season but we looked like we haven't!

 

[BerksBlade]

We looked gassed after an hour today.
Not surprising for Berge & Stevens given that they've played 3 internationals in a week, but the others?

 

[Houston_Blade]

It’s the lack of pre-season apparently, it only impacted us.

 

[Foody]

I've never subscribed to the idea that we are a physically fit team.

We have a couple of individuals who are extremely fit - namely Baldock and Basham - but in general at the top level that we are at, the other sides are on the whole physically fitter, faster and more powerful than us. And, that's not especially surprising as the top players are not only technically better but also better athletes.

I think you can add JOC into that mix as well. He's an absolute monster who covers way more ground than a man of his frame should be able to. Look at Berge, it's not that he isn't fit, just he's got a big old frame to carry about and cover ground.

Ultimately I think a team who relies on intensity is going to struggle when you disrupt the training regime as much as it has been and you take away the crowd.