Prem bosses are not happy about hectic festive fixture list… but it’s easy to recover when you’re winning
A LOT of managers aren’t happy about the short turnaround between games at this time of year.
But if you’re winning it is fine – you cannot wait for the next game to come along.
Nobody has played more games than Liverpool in December, yet look how brilliantly they performed to beat Leicester 4-0.
Their energy levels looked incredible because the players are in a great place.
If you are winning then it makes it a lot easier to recover. Yes, it is a physical issue but there is a mental side and you do not feel tired if you are winning.
People talk about winter breaks like they have in Germany and Spain but the Champions League and Europa League finals contained four English clubs last season.
Playing so much over this time of year is not proven to be a burden.
However, delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is at its worst two days after the game, so players who played on Boxing Day will be getting the worst of that today.
Their muscles and joints are fatigued and that is when players are more likely to get injured, so managers will look to rotate their players.
You can’t do too much, so most of the tactical work is done by video analysis.
When I was at Sunderland and Roy Keane was manager, we would meet on Christmas Day evening and stay in a hotel before having a meal and a beer together.
MOST READ IN FOOTBALL
That was nice because you are away from your family but you can have a drink with your team-mates, even if it was just the one.
At Stoke under Tony Pulis we would have the morning with our families then we would train and eat, staying in a hotel for the next few days, whether we were home or away.
Having the team together meant that the physios and masseurs were on hand for recovery to help get you through this gruelling period.