Since Friday, Germany’s U19s have been preparing themselves in the Greek city of Katerini for the European Championship, which takes place between 6th-19th July. There is not much time left before the team’s opening game against Spain on Tuesday (20:45 CEST), and the team are currently evaluating the situation of the young players – how fit are they after their summer holidays? And can they obtain the required physical stability for a tournament in such a short space of time?
The U19s last met up a good four weeks ago at the beginning of June, when Marcus Sorg’s team gathered for a post-season training camp in Grassau, so that they could get themselves in the right mood for their next big sporting target. “We laid the foundations for the tournament preparation before the holidays,” explains fitness coach Christian Schwend. Body weight and fat contents were measured and documented. “In agreement with the clubs, individual training plans were created for the holidays, taking into account the working times during the season and personal deficiencies,” added Schwend.
There was a gap of three weeks before the team left for Greece, and four before the start of the Euros against Spain. Schwend says, “That means that we have to pack quite a lot into this time so that the players are all set for the start of the tournament.”
In the first seven to ten days of their holidays, the players were meant to completely recover from football. They could freely play some other sports, like a bit of tennis or beach volleyball. “They began basic endurance, stabilization and agility exercises after two weeks. And then after three weeks they picked up the intensity with strength and endurance training,” says Schwend.
Some clubs have already started their pre-season training in the last week, so around half of the players have already had two or three training sessions with their club after the summer holiday, before they joined up with the U19s. The other half came to us straight from their holidays. “But that’s not a problem because of the individual training programmes,” explains Schwend. “You could clearly see during the first session who had already practiced with the ball at his feet and who was fresh from his holidays.” Another advantage of those who have already done performance tests with their clubs is that we can work with this data. The collaboration with colleagues from the clubs is generally outstanding according to Sorg’s fitness coach.
Schwend: “I’m very happy with how the boys have arrived”
The U19s will work hard with the ball in Greece, as well as taking part in various exercises for strength and endurance training. The intensity of sharpness and short, quick sprinting exercises has increased since the weekend. “We are very happy at how the boys have arrived here. You can see that they have worked well and professionally in the past few weeks. The boys have also provided weekly feedback from their holidays,” said a very pleased Schwend. “It makes me confident that we are where we want to be for the start of the Euros.”
The preparations, however, don’t stop when the tournament kicks off. “This is a process. We have to find the right balance between regeneration after the games on the one hand and the continual increase in physical fitness on the other,” explains Schwend. After the games, the U19s should be able to recover well through sufficient sleep, eating correctly and considerate medical care. For once, the ice bath is actually an enjoyable moment in the day because of the high temperatures in Greece.
