With the squad looking leggy in recent weeks, Regis Le Bris addressed the issue of fatigue and spoke about how he may be able to rest a few players now that the bench looks a little stronger than it has done.
MANAGE THE SQUAD PROPERLY
“I think our main analysis is always focused on the football output rather than the data, physical output and so on. This stage of the season is important and we have done well so far, so we have to remind ourselves that the team are in a good place. But at the same time we can struggle for a specific period, it is possible. We were good at Leeds for example, I think, it wasn’t our best performance against Hull but at the same time it wasn’t a disaster. We could have won that game but sometimes you make mistakes and can be punished. Next game, we can make the same mistake but we won’t be punished. So, it is important to manage the squad, to finish with good positive momentum. We have had many injuries, sometimes suspensions as well, so it often wasn’t possible but now I think we will have this opportunity (to rest players) and we need the full squad.”
MORE DEPTH THAN BEFORE
“We are ready for that, I think, because now for example Browney (Alan Browne) is available, Tommy will be available, Romaine is available. We have new players who got important injuries but will now be fresh to play again. For a long Championship season like this, the 35th or 36th round of fixtures are tough for everyone. We have to manage this stage properly."
MAINTAIN THE LEVEL
"We know that it is normal to have fatigue in those circumstances but at the same time it creates to condition to manage the squad first of all, but also to involve the players in their recovery process, and in their ambition. Sometimes even if you are tired you have to sustain the level, maybe in a different way, maybe you have to be a little bit smarter on the pitch, maybe we can change our way of managing the game a little bit. It is a new condition but at the same time it is useful for our ambition.”
