With a new week of preseason now completed, First-Team Fitness Coach Alberto Martínez appeared in the Press Room to answer the questions put to him by members of the media.
Is this a very different preseason to any previous one?
I just think that we have the time we have, and all we can do is adapt. It would be better to have a week or two longer, but we are going to work as well as possible and prepare ourselves for the start of LaLiga.
Do you think that a month's work is enough to be able to reach an optimal level of preparation?
It's going to be one of the conditioning factors, especially for the coaches. Matches are very important for us in terms of fitness, and we will have to progress through the league season.
Are Sangalli and Carlos Hernández training (within the limitations) at home?
The two of them are doing very similar work to that which they did during the lockdown. They have bikes, equipment and we check up on them each day. They are working and will be in optimal condition when they join up with the group.
How might the virus affect those players who have caught it?
That is a question for the medical services. When they arrive we will analyse it and see how they are. We will do individual work to allow them to join back in as soon as possible.
How can you programme this year with all of the uncertainty surrounding the LaLiga season?
I think we have to forget about all of that and prepare everything as if it mwere normal. We will have to adapt to whichever situations arise. We can't get obsessed with the idea that it's going to be a different season.
How much did the players' fitness have to do with the fine run they had at the end of the season?
It's true that the team's physical performances were good after the lockdown, and that says a lot about the great work of the lads, the doctors and the physios, and about our physical preparations. The team ended well, in good physical shape, and was able to achieve the objective.
How did the lockdown and then the tightly-packed fixture schedule last season affect the players?
Players from every team ended the season tired, because the level of demands was high. The players have now had three weeks of complete rest, they've not lost their fitness, and they've come back in good shape.
