Concern about Training Methods

the best way to train them is to play football.

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Or to recapitulate certain aspects of football through the type of drills Hoody referred to.

Ypi can create muscle memory from training. I could literally post a video of Liverpools first two days training and they are hard at it circuit training and completing fitness test assessments. Now it's possible Klopp and Kornmayer dont know how to train a team to optimun fitness but Im thinking they do.

Even if this were true which I doubt, I think it’s vital that we do work on our fitness. Ole seems to want us playing with more intensity and we struggled to keep up after doing it for a few weeks.

So even if some players are moaning about (which again I don’t believe) it’s vital we improve our fitness.

Not all aspects of fitness can be improved with a ball. Power based exercises require resistance or anaerobic exercises for example.

comment by it was hippo the whole time! it was a trick! - formerly definitely not hippo. (U1301)
posted 4 minutes ago
if ole is practicing pressing for example and the players are feeling exhausted because practicing pressing is hard, then i am ok with that.

if however there is a focus on this mythial concept of general "fitness", which is a buzzword that means nothing, then the players are right to be frustrated.
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Large parts of training prescription involve - if not revolve around - tuning the group and individual athletes’ biomechanics and efficiency, or, if you like, general fitness.

It’s massively important for elite endurance athletes, including elite level footballers.

Sounds like exactly what the United side needs in the first week. (as with any club really)

Above that though, if you want to play a more fast paced game, which is essentially the opposite of Mourinho football then it's gonna mean upping the fitness big time.

i am not saying to play for 90 minutes every training session, i am saying to not do any training without the ball

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The average team has possession of the ball 50% of the time. The average footballer will spend considerably less than 5% of the match with the ball at their feet. Off the ball movement is literally 95%+ of players' time on pitch.

Obviously, the emphasis of training needs to be what they do in that critical <5%. Obviously, it's often desirable to simulate real conditions so players train their tactical minds and instincts at the same time as drilling their fitness.

Hippo isn't totally wrong but he did overstate the initial argument. Training without the ball isn't inherently wrong, and it has evolved substantially since the days of taking teams for 10-mile runs along the beach.

Of course players need to be fit. But fast football is achieved by moving the ball quickly, fast decision making, being ready to collect and knowing what your team mates are doing.

comment by manusince52 (U9692)
posted 19 minutes ago
Of course players need to be fit. But fast football is achieved by moving the ball quickly, fast decision making, being ready to collect and knowing what your team mates are doing.
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Indeed. That’s where it will fall down on the decision making..

If you want to get better at something, just practicing that exact thing is good but you can do other things to improve even more. That works for skills but even more so for strength and stamina. Increasing weights or resistance in any exercise will build the affected muscles more than just practicing. All athletes do this. Not even up for debate.