Staying on the ball

Rhythm and routine are important in the lives of top-level athletes. Regular drills, learning new patterns of play and finetuning the smaller details of a player’s individual game play a key role for professional footballers. Coronavirus has changed this somewhat, but not stopped it entirely. Even though strict medical protocols are in place and they can’t train as an entire group, Hertha players will still do double sessions every day this week at Schenendorffplatz. Outfield players are training in mixed groups of eight, while the goalkeepers are training together as a quartet. Of course the players are prohibited from doing certain things, such as tackling, which Santiago Ascacibar has likened to “dancing without music”. But it is clear to everyone involved just how important it is to follow the advice of medical experts and health authorities. “The boys are complying with it really well. On the one hand, these are the current conditions and restraints that we must adhere to. On the other hand. But on the other hand, you’ve got things like drills, intensity, training duration and new approaches, which all change for the players with a new head coach. They have to adjust to all this, and they’re doing so really well until this point,” explained Bruno Labbadia.

Focus of training sessions: tactics and fitness

It’s clear that, even though a fixed date for the return of the Bundesliga is not yet arranged, Hertha will have to win points through any means necessary once football is back. For the players and coaches, it’s even more important to get into a rhythm and stay on the ball. “This week too, we’re doing two sessions a day, working on both tactical stuff and conditioning,” Labbadia said. “We just want to be as best prepared as we can be. We’re noticing that the players are on board with and understand our way of working. That’s important.”