Miñano: "Group training will get us closer to 'football fitness'"

Speaking in an interview with VCF MEDIA, Valencia CF fitness coach Javier Miñano talked about the unique steps taken in training over the past 10 days, leading up to a return to workouts in groups of 10 from Monday.

“It’s been a strange situation for everybody. It has been a long period of time and the worst thing has been the uncertainty, but the result is that we have got closer to the player whilst social distancing. We have tried to break down that distance and uncertainty, whilst stressing that the most important thing was to keep training as we have been,” he explained.

“The objectives were to adapt to each player's circumstances, as it was not the same for everyone, and to adapt the training to these new circumstances. During this two-month period, we have adapted training that the players used to do on a pitch to another type of training, but it was very important -not only from a fitness point of view, but also from a mental and psychological one, that the players kept their working discipline.”

Whilst the conditions vaguely resemble summer activities for the squad, Miñano emphasises that there are some stark differences between the current situation and preseason.

“The players are coming in from a state of difficulty and stress, and we have tried to give them normality and confidence in these first days back. From there, we will continue with the same caution. We have to adapt the players’ routines from the training they have done at home and go step by step; each phase that we are going through is a new stage of adaptation for the players. Now we have to adapt them to group training.”

That group training begins this week, and has come as a welcome switch-up for the participants.

“Until now there has only been training with the ball, but football is about facing opposition and situations, making decisions. I think that group training will bring us closer to that specificity of training that gets us more into ‘football shape’.

“We must bear in mind that the most important thing is decision-making and the interaction that exists between the players.”

“We are all trying to get into the final phase in the best possible shape, so that the next step -competing- is less difficult for us.”