Ted Tin-man McminnBeing good in possession is key. If we are only having 30-40% of the ball then we are spending too much time trying to press aggressively.
Although, I’ve often looked at Premier League teams and they always seem so much fitter than us (and Championship teams in general). If you watch Man City for example, they press in packs really high and really aggressively for the whole 90 minutes and when they have the ball the players are constantly moving, making angles and running off the ball. Although their technical ability is light years ahead of ours, so is their fitness. In the modern era, the higher level of player is also a better athlete. It’s not just about running X amount of miles per game, it’s doing it with pace. We do have exceptions in our team, Sunjic and Stansfield seem to be able to press at pace for long periods and by all accounts George Hall- if he can get/stay fit has that natural ability.
I wonder if Hannibal might be available for another loan in January!?! Apparently he broke all running records during games with us last season.
I agree. It should help that we have Tom Brady advising on health, nutrition, wellness, and recovery systems and programs. We're going to need help with it by the looks of things.
Holdsworth_MaraSonnerFitness isn’t a completely homogenous thing. I think the team was actually pretty fit under Eustace but we were playing a low to mid block and then attacking on the counter, which means people are having to hit peak exertion periodically on the counter.
A high press probably necessitates being at 80% of peak heart rate for the majority of the game. It’s a slightly different energy system.
Yeah, agreed.
Of course they were fit under Eustace but were asked to play in a completely different way, letting the other team have the ball while staying in shape and looking to break quickly and wide on the counter.
If we are going to play like we did - especially first half - against Ipswich, where we are pressing and looking to win the ball all over the pitch, that will need a whole other level.
I liked it to be fair. I think we should go same team again at Sunderland. The only way they will get up to speed on it is to keep working and playing at that intensity.
Did you watch us Saturday, we definitely flagged after 60 mins. The intensity dropped and player’s legs looked heavy.
To play a high press and intensity all over the park definitely requires more stamina and better fitness than we did under John Eustace. That doesn’t mean they weren’t “fit” they just need to be fitter
For what it matters, I think we should be encouraged. Saturday felt like a big step in the right direction