“In my mind, and many of us feel it, it's not a new season.
It's like it's a continuation of the last one.
For me, we are in the 60th game of the season, not in the 9th ”.
Kylian Mbappé poses, on the official site of the PSG, words on the evils.
From the height of his 21 years, the French world champion expresses his mental and physical fatigue in broad daylight.
“Normally, after the final of the Champions League, you win, you lose, but after you have holidays, details the Parisian.
Me, I love to play, I love this sport, I love being on the field, so you will never see me complaining about games.
But, to say that it is not easy to manage, it is not a complaint, it is an observation.
"
On this subject, even the violins of Leonardo and Thomas Tuchel agree.
Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola also spoke out.
"We ask too much of the players," said the Spaniard at a press conference this weekend.
We interrupted the season, we resumed the season, we stopped and then we picked up the news with two weeks of vacation.
I ask the maximum from my players, but human beings have their limits.
"At Citizens as at PSG, the workforce is affected by at least three national club competitions and more than half will fly in a few days for, already, the third international" truce "since September.
"All this is a huge puzzle for the clubs"
“Generally, it is estimated that to obtain complete relaxation of the body, a player needs two to three to weeks, explains Raphaël Fèvre, former physical trainer of PSG.
Below, we know that it is problematic.
From what I could see from the outside, the biggest concern is that the players did not have a real cut.
The end of the season, confinement… The climate was anxious for everyone.
And the players all continued physical work from a distance.
This is not a vacation with a real break where the body can relax.
"
After the break linked to the health crisis, PSG returned to training on June 22, about 10 days before a “classic” pre-season recovery.
The big difference lies in the content of the physical and mental preparation.
Because Thomas Tuchel's group was not targeting the start of the season but the conclusion of the previous year with two cup finals and the Champions League.
"They have been prepared as one prepares for a World Cup or a Euro, to chain matches every three days", notes Raphaël Fèvre, now in charge of performance at the Girondins de Bordeaux training center.
On August 24, the day after the lost European final, the Parisians were officially on vacation… But not for long.
One week for Mbappé and Kimpembe before returning to the Blues.
Ten days for Neymar or the South Americans, disturbed by the coronavirus.
"All of this is a huge headache for the clubs," concludes Raphaël Fèvre.
Each player also reacts in a different way.
The psychological and the physical are closely linked.
You have to be very attentive to everyone.
“While continuing to get results in the various competitions and with a potential end of the season in July 2021 with the Euro (for internationals).
