If all we did is focus on fitness it would be our best summer since Fergie

Saf94

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But he admits: “I’m not going to lie. At the start it was horrible. Horrible.

“When you reach the first team as a professional, it’s kind of like, ‘If you want go and do gym, do gym. If you don’t, you don’t have to’. But when he came in, gym was compulsory.”


“We have got four games left, and we are still running almost every other team off the pitch,” says Walker. “The only team close to us, if I remember correctly, is Bournemouth.


“That’s what I meant about doing the basics right. We can all play football, but one of the basics of this game is that you need to run about and work for each other. That’s what’s pushed us on to the next level.”
This is a quote from Kyle Walker re Pochs pre season methods when he joined. From here - https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/f...icio-pochettino-knocked-tottenham-into-shape/

Just like Walker says, for 6 years we’ve had players who can play but can’t do the basics right. If all we do is fix the basics we can get so much more out of the players we have currently regardless of who we sign.

If we don’t fix the basics it doesn’t matter who we sign we will never have sustained success.
 

Kostur

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This is a quote from Kyle Walker re Pochs pre season methods when he joined. From here - https://www.thesun.co.uk/archives/f...icio-pochettino-knocked-tottenham-into-shape/

Just like Walker says, for 6 years we’ve had players who can play but can’t do the basics right. If all we do is fix the basics we can get so much more out of the players we have currently regardless of who we sign.

If we don’t fix the basics it doesn’t matter who we sign we will never have sustained success.
Well that's a bold claim.
 

UnitedObsession99

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Speaking of basics, i felt LVG had that spot on. footbal was quite horrendous, maybe the 3rd season would have seen the rewards.
I guess it could have worked like a snake charmer to put everyone to sleep!

I found it a real struggle to watch a whole LVG match.
 

manutddjw

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Didn’t Moyes do his infamous donut runs and then ban chips to work on fitness?
 

roonster09

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There should be balance but yeah fitness is very important.

Klopp
"It will be triple training sessions, of course," Klopp said at the club's end of season awards. "The problem with preseason is that for the first three weeks we have 15 players who will have been away at the Euros and we also have to see how the squad is changing.
"Everything you do is based around physical potential and what you do in preseason is key to that. We are now really fit but because of the games -- our best sessions have been the games
Conte, Poch, Klopp's preseason
How does Conte do it?

High-intensity fitness drills, in which extreme work is done in a short but concentrated space of time, are the basis for Conte's fitness philosophy. Sources have described the training as "gruelling" and a look at just one of the regular drills reveals how much is demanded of players:

Run 100 metres within 20 seconds; rest for 20 seconds -- repeat for seven minutes.

Run 75 metres within 15 seconds; rest for 15 seconds -- repeat for seven minutes.

Run 50 metres within 10 seconds; rest for 10 seconds -- repeat for seven minutes.

ESPN FC pundit Don Hutchison is a former professional who is still at a good level of fitness and has been through some testing preseasons.

"I've had altitude training in Salt Lake City with Coventry; that was horrendous," he said. "Army boot camp at Hartlepool; that was even worse. Liverpool's wasn't too bad, but at West Ham we used to do lots of long-distance running and then, as the weeks went on toward the start of the season, it would turn into sprinting work. So, over the years, I've had some brutal ones."

Hutchison went through these Conte drills and it is telling that he considered them as tough as anything he has seen before, in terms of demand on the body.

"Harder than what I thought it would be, to be honest," Hutchison said. "When I set off for the first one, I thought 'not too bad,' then I had 20 seconds' rest, went again and, after four or five, I could feel my chest pumping and all of a sudden I could feel the lactic acid creeping into in my calf muscles and my hamstring and my quads... that was tough."

Conte is not alone when it comes to this approach to fitness: Two of his rivals for the top four -- and possibly for the Premier League title -- have similar principles.
Jurgen Klopp had triple sessions in Liverpool's preseason, an approach that sources say left many of his players so exhausted that they would sleep in hotel rooms rather than go home in between.

Meanwhile, Ben Davies has revealed that his international teammates are often "stunned" when Tottenham players tell them of Mauricio Pochettino's fitness regime.

As for Chelsea, Conte has set his stall out and those late goals are the early dividends. Defender Gary Cahill described his most recent preseason as one of the "hardest" he's ever experienced, but in the long run, it could make Chelsea very difficult to outlast as the season goes on.

Pep
While Guardiola has given his players time off, there have been plenty of double sessions too, and midfielder Fabian Delph has spoken of how intense the training days have been.

"The intensity has gone through the roof," he said. "It's so intense - high pressing, very energetic. It's been tough but it's been very, very good."

Pep Guardiola training methods shared with Solo Soccer Training

“The intensity has gone through the roof,” “It’s so intense” – Fabian Delph speaking of Guardiolas soccer training methods.

Fitness First.

Such is the technical excellence of your typical ‘Guardiola Player’ it has become a common myth that physically, Guardiola does not work his players as hard as Simeone or a Mourinho. This is simply a myth.

From Fat Camps at Manchester City, to Mountain Mayhem at Bayern Munich, Guardiola has based his philosophy around high tempo, intensive training sessions that allow his teams to play a vigrous pressing game.
 

Dolf

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Hasn't Ole said this a few times too? I think we will be really fit at the start of the season. It's not just fitness though, it's also the will to run and press.
 

Smores

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Didn’t Moyes do his infamous donut runs and then ban chips to work on fitness?
I think people just want to believe no other manager has tried it and Ole will just get them to run around more and our problems will be fixed. Already saw that end of last season where some still believe it was only fitness holding us back.

Moyes, LvG and Jose all complained and tried to improve our fitness but the only thing that will really work is replacing half the team.

There's an interview from Carrick reflecting on Moyes instructing them to run more where he disregards it's importance and that united have never run much. Good job he's not a coach now eh
 

Adam-Utd

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Running is the most important aspect of football.

If you can't run to a high level you won't win. This isn't a 5 aside game where footwork alone can win you a match.

Honestly this is a good thing, run them into the ground and if the players don't like it they can sit on the bench.
 

11101

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The horseshoe he called it.
So that's where my old fitness coach got it from. Horrible exercise.


I don't know what we were doing in previous summers but this year we were clearly not fit enough. The way we began to drop off after Ole came in and upped the tempo of our games is not right for a Premier League team. We need a tough pre season and any players who don't like it are free to go and see how they get on with those fitness levels under other managers.
 

stevoc

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So that's where my old fitness coach got it from. Horrible exercise.


I don't know what we were doing in previous summers but this year we were clearly not fit enough. The way we began to drop off after Ole came in and upped the tempo of our games is not right for a Premier League team. We need a tough pre season and any players who don't like it are free to go and see how they get on with those fitness levels under other managers.
Definitely we seen when Ole came in he got them working a lot harder during games and the results reflected that. But they couldn't sustain it, and to be fair to Solskjaer i'm pretty sure he predicted that would happen in one of his early press conferences.

Moyes with his Horseshoe nonsense was just trying to look like he knew what he was doing.
 

TwoSheds

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Didn’t Moyes do his infamous donut runs and then ban chips to work on fitness?
Difference was he was running injury prone, old players into the ground. He wasn't working with a young team full of lazy gits.
 

sunama

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Speaking of basics, i felt LVG had that spot on. footbal was quite horrendous, maybe the 3rd season would have seen the rewards.
Yeah I felt the same about Moyes. Instead of sacking, we should've extended his contract for another 6 years.
 

sunama

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We need a tough pre season and any players who don't like it are free to go and see how they get on with those fitness levels under other managers.
I got news for you buddy. Pogba, our most expensive player does want to go.
And by the sounds of it, our second most expensive player also wants out.
 

Velvet Revolver

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Yeah I felt the same about Moyes. Instead of sacking, we should've extended his contract for another 6 years.
Some people get so offended when they are high up in their mighty horse.

I was Just stating that LVG may have been good with a 3rd season. I have no qualms about him gone just a statement!

Anyone with one brain cell would know that moyes was a disastrous appointment. He should not have been given a contract for 6 Mins.
 

sunama

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There's an interview from Carrick reflecting on Moyes instructing them to run more where he disregards it's importance and that united have never run much. Good job he's not a coach now eh
Speaking of Carrick (and McKenna), why are they not getting any flack? Since they took over as coaches, we have been an absolute disaster. I mean 6th place is sackable, IMO.
 

M Bison

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No one ever becomes a worse player by getting fitter. Surely being in peak fitness is the absolute number 1 priority for a professional footballer?!
 

sunama

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The players are kicking up because they have to run,poor souls.
I am worried that some of our darlings won't be able to handle the physical work rate being asked of them. We need to go easy on them, I think.
 

DomesticTadpole

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Yes we have to get the fitness levels up, but that will not improve players who have no technical ability. Most of Pep's players have that ability so really only have to concentrate on the fitness side. A lot of our players are technically inept and that will not change with fitness. It just means they can run for longer. We should be making sure we sign technical players.
 

Bestietom

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Yes we have to get the fitness levels up, but that will not improve players who have no technical ability. Most of Pep's players have that ability so really only have to concentrate on the fitness side. A lot of our players are technically inept and that will not change with fitness. It just means they can run for longer. We should be making sure we sign technical players.
Exactly. Our players don't know what Technical means. But who's fault is it. We have over 60 scouts to look for top technical players, but do we listen to them, or are we prepared to part with the money for these players. Sometimes I wonder why they are there.
 

DomesticTadpole

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Exactly. Our players don't know what Technical means. But who's fault is it. We have over 60 scouts to look for top technical players, but do we listen to them, or are we prepared to part with the money for them. Sometimes I wonder why they are there.
Aren't we supposed to be getting even more of them. Must be a great job that.
 

MrBest

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Yes we have to get the fitness levels up, but that will not improve players who have no technical ability. Most of Pep's players have that ability so really only have to concentrate on the fitness side. A lot of our players are technically inept and that will not change with fitness. It just means they can run for longer. We should be making sure we sign technical players.
Whereas i agree with the need to increase fitness 150% i do think our team are decent technical wise. Our squad is incredibly lazy which is absolutely apparent. Matic fred andreas martial sanchez dalot rashford pogba are all good on the ball but apart from rashford, have zero desire to chace a lost cause. If we were to talk intellectual ability, then that is another story.
 

UncleBob

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I think people just want to believe no other manager has tried it and Ole will just get them to run around more and our problems will be fixed. Already saw that end of last season where some still believe it was only fitness holding us back.

Moyes, LvG and Jose all complained and tried to improve our fitness but the only thing that will really work is replacing half the team.

There's an interview from Carrick reflecting on Moyes instructing them to run more where he disregards it's importance and that united have never run much. Good job he's not a coach now eh
Link ?
 

Grande

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There should be balance but yeah fitness is very important.

Klopp


Conte, Poch, Klopp's preseason



Pep
Good post. Sometimes I feel like if it wasn’t for all the baseless opions taking most of the space, this place would be a good site to go and find information to base opinions on.

Moyes also did love fitness: https://www.google.no/amp/s/sportsl...izes-david-moyes-training-methods/119124/amp/

Though he also loved off-the-ball training, cautious defensive tactical training, and same-training-for all players regardless of age, individual physicality and functioning. And he never really got many of the players on board.

So as you say, it’s the balance that is decisive.
 

DomesticTadpole

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Whereas i agree with the need to increase fitness 150% i do think our team are decent technical wise. Our squad is incredibly lazy which is absolutely apparent. Matic fred andreas martial sanchez dalot rashford pogba are all good on the ball but apart from rashford, have zero desire to chace a lost cause. If we were to talk intellectual ability, then that is another story.
I was going to mention that, then realised you mentioned it already. Yes, their decision making is abysmal. I am not sure if that is taught or you just have it.
 

Bestietom

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The ones who are moaning, I would put Woodward sitting on their shoulders and make them run then.
With a bit of luck maybe they would fall.
 

NotQuiteManc

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I think based on the trend of player's forms towards the end of the season, it is not too surprising really. This squad is capable of playing really good football judging from their winning runs, but they couldn't sustain it even if it just the second half of the season. Even Klopp's team needed few years before they are able to sustain their runs throughout a season. Then again, squad management is important too. Before United add supposedly better quality players, let's improve what they have at the moment and fill in the critical positions like CM and RW.
 

tomaldinho1

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Speaking of basics, i felt LVG had that spot on. footbal was quite horrendous, maybe the 3rd season would have seen the rewards.
Yh he straight away identified our issues re fitness, I think his problem was just his style of management is so intense players just got rubbed up the wrong way. He also inherited a terrible team and his big signings really didn't work out.

I know the caf is a place of often ridiculous commentary but the problems around fitness have been long documented on here, the fact it's so obvious to the outside eye makes it even more unacceptable to still be a problem. If we sign no one else but ole whips the players into top fitness, that's worth so much to us.