Ligue 1: holidays, internships, friendlies… How clubs will spend their time during the World Cup

Ligue 1 clubs will miss six weeks without official matches when they resume on Wednesday 28 December (Tour 16). The Ligue 2 teams that were still on the bridge in the French Cup last weekend will go five weeks without competition. It was about planning your schedule well so you don’t lose your productivity or find new momentum if needed. Almost all elite clubs work according to the following scheme: two weeks of rest, one week of training and several friendly matches.

diligent vacation

For the most part, L1 players have been resting for the second week. “They were completely free for the first week,” testifies Erwan Le Postec, assistant coach of Lorient, who is now 5th in L1. On the second, everyone has a four-workout program: lower and upper body strengthening, plating, and running.

However, last week some internationals not present in Qatar played friendlies with their choice, such as Lorient’s Ibrahima Kone with Mali on Wednesday (1-1 in Algeria) and Nigerian Terem Moffi (0-4 in Portugal on Thursday) . . The latter will resume training only two days after their teammates. In Qatar with Tunisia, Montassart Talbi, hake’s only globalist, will see his rest period more or less shortened, depending on the course of his selection. In any case, Talbi will be exempted from training in Lorient (December 4-10).

Course in the sun

A week or ten days after training resumes, the workforce will have a week-long course, mostly under the Spanish or Portuguese sun – Toulouse has chosen Turkey and Troyes has chosen Manchester. PSG and Ajaccio missed the internship. “More time spent together is an opportunity to make a lot of videos, interviews and exchange opinions about football performances,” explains Le Postek. It also allows us to practice different activities to create a bond between us and improve group cohesion. Finally, it makes it easier to complete the elements related to nutrition and recovery. »

friendly matches

We returned from training, friendly matches are scheduled. “It’s going to be a matter of playing time progressiveness,” Le Postek explains. We will give everyone 45 minutes in the first match, 60 minutes in the second and 70-80 minutes in the third player, who will most likely start on December 28th. “These matches are also an opportunity to make adjustments: “There are things that we did worse in the first part of the season,” continues Lorient’s assistant. Hosted defense, for example, will be an important area of ​​development. »

Missed Christmas

After the last friendly match, there is only a week left before the resumption of L1, on Wednesday, December 28th. “We will approach it like a classic week,” warns Le Postec. In our training periodization, D+3 and D+4 are the main working days that fall on the 24th and 25th, so there will be a training session on the 24th and a training session on the 25th. through it. »

In Ligue 2, the resumption will take place on Monday, December 26. “The thing that gives us rhythm is the matches,” says Christophe Manourier, chief executive of 12th-place Paris Football Club in L2. However, we have one on the 26th and we will do it accordingly – Pau-Paris FC. In the meantime, we have a ten-day break, then preparation. The positive aspect is that this allows each player to be reconfigured to suit their needs. A physical education coach, like a tactical coach, has more time to work in all areas of activity. FC Paris, which will not train, will play two friendly matches against Troyes on 10 December and then against PSG on 16 December.