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The Japanese Hasebe goes with Eintracht on a PR tour in the Japanese homeland
Photo: LAURIE DIEFFEMBACQ / imago images / Belga
The football world is concentrating on the World Cup in Qatar, some Bundesliga clubs are initially heading for other goals.
The more than two-month break offers time to promote the league.
A number of players still have to wait for days off after the last Bundesliga games last weekend.
The program of the Bundesliga clubs looks very different.
Some first division clubs are just starting out in a PR program abroad, while others still have training or friendlies.
Some professionals who are not at the World Cup still travel to their national teams.
And some of the clubs send their players – if they are not tied – on vacation until December.
Like SC Freiburg, who will train again on December 5th.
"The screw is turned more and more until it breaks," said Freiburg coach Christian Streich, alarmed at the number of games.
Vacation, training, vacation again, back to training
He sees it positively that there are now ten weeks until the restart from January 20th to 22nd without competitive games: “I think it’s great, I’ve never had a day off in November.
I have no problem that there are no games.
It doesn't get any more intense than the last few months," said Streich.
How to control the training?
"By putting a lot of work into it."
A year ago, the first half of the season was over on December 19th, just under three weeks later it continued.
This time the break is much longer than usual, the second division even starts a week later than the Bundesliga.
The plans are not that easy, said Bayern's Julian Nagelsmann.
The record champions initially gave their few players who are not at the World Cup a week off.
Then Nagelsmann has a small group together before there is another break from December 10th to the beginning of January.
RB Leipzig will continue training until December 10th to maintain the level and "work through a few things," said coach Marco Rose.
PR trips to the USA or to Vietnam
Several clubs initially travel abroad.
Eintracht Frankfurt was scheduled to leave for Japan on Monday, where Eintracht defender Makoto Hasebe was born, as was playmaker Daichi Kamada, who, however, is playing with Japan at the World Cup.
VfB Stuttgart boarded the plane with fans to the US state of Texas, where 1. FC Köln will be arriving in the next few days.
Leverkusen is already in the US state of Missouri.
Dortmund will represent the Bundesliga in Singapore and Vietnam from November 21st to December 1st.
“The unique season break in November and December means an unusual challenge for all clubs.
It was important to us to organize these weeks in the best possible way for the players who are not taking part in the World Cup," said BVB sports director Sebastian Kehl.
Intensive preparation begins in early January, with more than half of the clubs planning a training camp.
The numerous FC Bayern World Cup participants will travel back to Qatar just a few weeks after the tournament from January 6th to 12th.
Mainz even has two training camps planned, one in December on Mallorca and one in January on the Costa del Sol.
Mönchengladbach, on the other hand, deliberately refrains from doing so.
December will be a "very, very individually designed training-free time" with training plans, announced trainer Daniel Farke.
In January he didn't want to "give away two days of travel stress".
The break will be "really good," said Leipzig midfielder Xaver Schlager, drawing a comparison with his home country of Austria.
There he had a winter break of "four, five weeks".
»One didn't have the feeling that the air was gone in March.
You start with new energy,” said Schlager, whose national team is not qualified for the World Cup.
SC trainer Streich also wants to collect energy on vacation - and follow the World Cup: If he doesn't have a television, then he doesn't start "to cry".
jan/dpa
