Detailed preparations
Physical preparation is one of the most important aspects in professional sport in the modern game. For the squad's Paris Games preparation training camp, the Olympic squad have two physical trainers, Carlos Rivera and Miguel Ángel Campos, who are in charge of getting the maximum performance out of each of them, as well as reducing the risks of injury.
Carlos and Miguel Ángel are clear that the work of the physical trainers within a football team should focus on "minimising the effort that the players make on the pitch. The key is to guide that effort on a technical, physical and tactical level, so that every step they take makes sense".
Before a training camp of this nature, that is, at the end of the season, the physical trainers draw up a workload plan so that the players arrive into matches in perfect condition. "What we have asked of the players and their clubs have agreed to is the players doing work before turning up to the camp. Before starting here on 1 July, they were working individually, with personalised tasks and the truth is that they have been doing very well," explains Carlos Rivera.
To win gold, Spain will have to play six matches on French soil, three of which could go the full 120 minutes. That's why it's really important "to try to schedule a progressive load from the first week to get the player used to the scenarios they might encounter. We must especially take into account the high-speed and high-intensity loads during the matches and the possibility of extra time," concludes the Olympic team's physical trainer.
