Team Fitness Levels....

Do you think the team's fitness is up to scratch?

Pinched from another site...

Saints still pursuing Brazilian model By Del Killjoy
Posted on Monday 13 Oct 2008 08:51:00

When Sir Clive Woodward brought in Simon Clifford to assist with coaching four years ago, it signalled the club’s intentions to follow the Brazilian model, concentrating on ball skills and close control, rather then fitness and strength. Clifford did not last long at the club, but with Poortvliet and the Dutch revolution at St Mary’s, there is clear evidence of a legacy.

Clifford now manages Garforth Town, as well as maintaining his Brazilian Soccer Schools franchise, of which Micah Richards is a graduate. Five years ago he also introduced SOCATOTS, a pre-school coaching programme that teaches basic ball skills, movement and co-ordination exercises to kids as young as six months old.

When asked to comment on the state of the game this week, Clifford said the following to the Daily Telegraph:

“The ultimate aim for England should be winning the World Cup but, if things continue as they are, that will be impossible. I can see a time in the next five to 10 years when we will have a whole day of Premier League matches with no English player involved. The problem is the entire structure and culture of coaching.

“In 1997 I stayed with Zico in Brazil and he told me that the first thing we should do for the kids was play a game where the ball cannot be lifted off the ground to encourage skill. The second difference was the number of hours they worked. At Sao Paulo, the children worked for 20 hours a week, mostly on their technique, and they were all two-footed. In England, the clubs generally have two sessions of two hours and very little actual ball work. In Brazil, I didn't see fantastic facilities, but I saw fantastic work.”

Well Saints seem to be putting in the work a lot these days, with emphasis more on skill than fitness. Poortvliet prefers our young squad to keep the ball on the floor, avoiding the long-ball temptation, and has been focusing on a direct style that relies more on skill than brute strength, which is something we seem to lack. However, despite the age of the players, fitness has cost us regularly this season, with performances often dropping off in the second half. There has been plenty of talk about “letting the ball do the work”, but Poortvliet is now acknowledging that the players need to work much harder themselves.

The idea was that it would be just like watching Brazil, then Holland. Now we’re just hoping that Saints look like a team who can last the ninety minutes, working cohesively and efficiently. Perhaps it’s Germany we should be aspiring to.

I actually think that the worst is over. Players will soon be given more opportunities with increased legislation regarding number of overseas players allowed per team. It is not just in England where this problem exists.