While the thirteenth match in two months of competition for LOSC is already approaching, against Toulouse, the second international break of the season will be an opportunity for the Lille team not called up to the selection to recover. A clever balance to find to keep everyone on top of their game.
LOSC forced to innovate to cope?
Thirteen matches in two months of competition, a second international break imminent with certain players concerned and around ten players having missed at least one match due to a physical problem since the start of the season, all in a calendar where matches follow one another sometimes every three days: it’s an understatement to say that LOSC has to juggle and rack its brains to keep its group in good shape, while unavailability has multiplied.
« Today, given the training methods, the people involved in the staff have changed things enormously.draw Bruno Genesio. This allows players to be ready to face matches every three days without much hassle. What is complicated are the rest phases which are less and less possible, or at an increasingly reduced frequency. Especially for international players who, during the winter break, travel and play. This is especially what is difficult to manage. » Jonathan David is undoubtedly the most concerned by these tiring international breaks, since the Canadian plays a lot with the Canucks while traveling a lot and being forced to return to the North often late.
Therefore, prevention is better than cure, even to the point of individualizing workloads. “ We do it in agreement with the medical staff and the performance center with a lot of objective data that we collect to anticipate and predict muscle injuries.deciphers the LOSC coach. For others like Hakon (Haraldsson) or Gala (Mukau)it is more difficult to predict because they are hits. And then it is obviously important to have a significant workforce to be able to rotate from one match to another, preserve the organizations and manage this in the best possible way.. »
A multifactorial choice
Bruno Genesio, who advances “ game time management » as the first decision factor, exemplified with the left winger position, among the most competitive sectors at the start of the season where an alternation between Rémy Cabella et Osame Sahraoui seems to be gradually settling in: “ Osame remains a young player who has just arrived and must still adapt to the level of Ligue 1 and the different training rates. Rémy is an experienced player who, through his playing intelligence and his ability to have already experienced situations like Wednesday’s match, is a very important contribution to us. ».
The Lille technician concludes: “ I also take into account what I see in training, in relation to everyone’s state of form and the sequence of matches. It’s a whole bunch of elements that I take into account before making my team composition while knowing that, inevitably, the one who plays is happy and the one who doesn’t play is less so (smile). Even more so when there are matches like Wednesday. I had a word for everyone who didn’t take part in this match because I know it was very hard for them, but that’s part of high-level football. » Just like these XXL calendars which are increasingly subject to discussion.
Enzo PAILOT, in Camphin-en-Pévèle
Crédits photo : Anthony Bibard/FEP/Icon Sport
Related News :