值得一看的文章-Pre-season madness 由 thomas5b06 发表
“A conclusion is simply the place where you got tired of thinking.”
— Martin H. Fischer
The last 10 days or so Valencia has been preparing the new season in
the German village Speyer, where new coach Miroslav Djukic has had the
first few days with most of his players. With him Djukic has a new team
of fitness coach, assistant manager and a new medical team. The first
day was a lot about getting to know the players for the new staff. Tests
were taken to make note of fitness and fatigue all week-long to see how
the players responded to the training.
At the beginning of
the stay Valencia brought 17 first team players as well as 6 Mestalla
youngsters. Later on players like Jonas, Salva Ruiz and Ever Banega has
joined, with the likes of Gayá and Soldado still on vacation and Canales
training on his own while recovering from his injury.
The
training itself has been described as by far the most intensive those
who follow the club has seen in recent years. With two sessions a day,
the players have really been challenged. Also on match days, the team
has completed training sessions during the morning, including a few
intensive 1000 meter runs. “We have talked with the medical staff this
morning [Friday] and they have measured the players’ fatigue all week.
It was very high in the beginning, but it has dropped substantially this
week. That means they are adjusting to this workload. After Speyer they
will have three days off. Then we will start seeing improvement.”
Apart from that the focus has been high on the tactical side of
things, drilling the new coach’s 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 systems with a high
focus on the defensive part of the game “we have to start at home to
build a good foundation” Djukic commented in an interview.
Djukic wants his team to be solid at back as a basis for controlling the
ball and have the majority of possession. If the ball is with the
opposition, the team should employ a high pressing game to win it back
as soon as possible. Djukic is also changing how Valencia transfers
the ball from the defence to midfielders. While Emery, Pellegrini and
Valverde all put a lot of faith in the two central defenders, Djukic is
looking to involve the side backs and the defensive midfielder (Romeu)
in the build up. The Serb also want the side backs to contribute heavily
in attack as the wingers will pull infield to create space and add
presence in the box.
These tactical dispositions represent a
clear new direction as compared to the style of play Valencia has been
employing the last few years. It is also why signing Oriol Romeu was so
important to Djukic – and why David Albelda wasn’t really an option.
These aspects of the game has been one of Djukic’ main focuses the last
week, while also un-learning the old way of doing things. For sure he
has not gotten the results he wanted, but he might still have gotten
some of the answers he was hoping for; “We are missing some freshness,
but that is normal at this stage of the season. The important thing is
the willingness to change and contribute.”
Djukic is happy with
the state of his squad and feels it has the necessary depth; “We have a
bit of everything. High quality, ability to break through, speed…We
have hard-working players. With this we can make a great Valencia. We
also have players with the little extra like Soldado, Banega, Jonathan
Viera…”
With regards to the results Djukic does, of course,
not like to lose. Neither does media or fans who already start
complaining and asking themselves and others the question if Djukic is
the right man for the job. If one takes into consideration the physical
strain put on the players during the week and a half in Speyer (even on
match days), the new style of play and that it is the first week for a
new coach getting to know his players, I believe it unfair to draw
conclusions at this early stage. In earlier times, clubs were mostly
protected from short-sighted fans during pre-season, but the increased
availability of news and information is being transformed to demands
already at a stage where no points are given and no trophies are won.
Patience.
The key to everything is patience. You get the chicken by hatching the egg, not by smashing it.
- Arnold H. Glasow
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天下足球
