- Aug 25, 2011
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I've alluded to this in the past without confining the details but I've been giving English lessons to the PSG first team fitness coach for a couple of years now and as he knows I'm a Tottenham fan he asked me what was going on.
Now a lot of this won't be a revelation but it might help confirm a number of issues with us.
After I told him my thoughts about what happened at our club, I asked him, as the expert, what he believes could be the issue.
First, he told me that players wouldn't necessarily be overworked from the training regimes (more the combination of games/training/etc) but if they've been working under the same fitness coaches and doing the same routines they will certainly get despondent with it and this can cause injuries In itself as players are unable to push themselves and then when they are pushed to play 3 games a week they aren't ready. Especially if the coach wants them to play high intense football.
He then thinks (after what I told him) that certain players have been managed poorly. For example, Kane, when returning from injury or summer tournaments, it would have been better to not have him on such an intense programme, a more managed programme would suffice as it seems to have caused an overload and why he gets injured often now. This could then apply to Alli and any other player who has returned from injury. He doesn't think our players have been managed well.
We also discussed management. When noting that Poch had been at the club 5 years and that a lot of the same players had been so too, he immediately told me that those players are done because they've given everything, utilised the high intensity training/system and continuously got injured. He stated that we need to replace a large percentage of them, maybe not Kane, Son and Alli but certainly a large amount.
When I asked him specifically on Poch and being at the club for so long, pulled a 'what do you expect' face and referred to Fergie changing the cycle of players and coaching staff every five years and that it won't work much longer in modern football cause coaches rely heavily on their entourage who they've trusted. So unless your board are happy to buy 3-4 new players every summer you are basically asking for trouble. You have to accept you'll buy a couple of duds and just shift them on first chance and replace them the following year but as long as you have that continuation it keeps things fresh.
He used Klopp as an example to watch because they all believe he's pushing his squad to the max and if he doesn't buy a few this summer the same could happen to them.
So, like I said nothing earth shattering but may give a better insight into what we are facing and why we are so dreadful at the moment and why our injuries rack up. I honestly don't think Jose can be criticised the majority of this is out of his hands.
Other little bits...
He also told me last week that Lucas is NOT a striker at all but is an absolutely brilliant person to have around.
Aurier has the capacity to be great but lacks the mental capacity.
I don't know what experience Jr Poch had in terms of professional roles but when I said Poch's son was our first team sports science guy he did look a little perplexed but I didn't push him on that point so can't say if he was thinking what some of us thought.
Now a lot of this won't be a revelation but it might help confirm a number of issues with us.
After I told him my thoughts about what happened at our club, I asked him, as the expert, what he believes could be the issue.
First, he told me that players wouldn't necessarily be overworked from the training regimes (more the combination of games/training/etc) but if they've been working under the same fitness coaches and doing the same routines they will certainly get despondent with it and this can cause injuries In itself as players are unable to push themselves and then when they are pushed to play 3 games a week they aren't ready. Especially if the coach wants them to play high intense football.
He then thinks (after what I told him) that certain players have been managed poorly. For example, Kane, when returning from injury or summer tournaments, it would have been better to not have him on such an intense programme, a more managed programme would suffice as it seems to have caused an overload and why he gets injured often now. This could then apply to Alli and any other player who has returned from injury. He doesn't think our players have been managed well.
We also discussed management. When noting that Poch had been at the club 5 years and that a lot of the same players had been so too, he immediately told me that those players are done because they've given everything, utilised the high intensity training/system and continuously got injured. He stated that we need to replace a large percentage of them, maybe not Kane, Son and Alli but certainly a large amount.
When I asked him specifically on Poch and being at the club for so long, pulled a 'what do you expect' face and referred to Fergie changing the cycle of players and coaching staff every five years and that it won't work much longer in modern football cause coaches rely heavily on their entourage who they've trusted. So unless your board are happy to buy 3-4 new players every summer you are basically asking for trouble. You have to accept you'll buy a couple of duds and just shift them on first chance and replace them the following year but as long as you have that continuation it keeps things fresh.
He used Klopp as an example to watch because they all believe he's pushing his squad to the max and if he doesn't buy a few this summer the same could happen to them.
So, like I said nothing earth shattering but may give a better insight into what we are facing and why we are so dreadful at the moment and why our injuries rack up. I honestly don't think Jose can be criticised the majority of this is out of his hands.
Other little bits...
He also told me last week that Lucas is NOT a striker at all but is an absolutely brilliant person to have around.
Aurier has the capacity to be great but lacks the mental capacity.
I don't know what experience Jr Poch had in terms of professional roles but when I said Poch's son was our first team sports science guy he did look a little perplexed but I didn't push him on that point so can't say if he was thinking what some of us thought.