Fail To Prepare, Prepare To Fail

The Reds kicked off pre-season training at Carrington this week, so we caught up with Sir Alex's right-hand man Mike Phelan to find out about the Reds' preparations for the new season...

Ultimately it was a disappointing end to last season, but is everyone ready to go again with renewed determination after having a break?
It’s early doors yet, we’re talking now on the third day back – and not everyone is here, the World Cup lads are still missing. But on the whole the mood is very good. The players look refreshed. They know what pre-season is about! I think they’ve just got to focus on getting themselves fit and ready for when they have to perform.

How much planning from the coaches’ and management’s perspective goes into pre-season?
There’s a lot of planning. There’s also repetition from previous years, good work which we try to repeat, but you also have to introduce new elements so the players aren’t getting bored. Pre-season is difficult, especially now, as for some players it’s the longest break they’ve had in many years. Their concentration has dropped, so it’s important they get their heads round what we’re asking them to do and move on quickly. We’re going on tour relatively early this year, so our preparations are split between Carrington and what we’re doing in America.

How do you manage it with some players back now, the World Cup lads returning later and others recovering from injury?
Well, we’re Manchester United and we have the facilities, the staff and experience to cater for every eventuality. We concentrate now on the group that is with us and when the others come back they will be taken care of by other members of staff. So the plan will be that every member of staff has a priority, then we bring it all together in the final week before we start the season. That’s the aim. Obviously the World Cup players will be a little bit behind, but that sharpness will come. Players are sensible these days anyway, they look after themselves a lot better than they ever did before.

Different from your playing days?
[Laughs] Yeah! And it changes all the time. Players’ attitudes change, besides the stakes are probably higher now than they’ve ever been. You have more players to work with, too. So, you can structure things differently. Each player has a different preparation period and something to aim for. We try to coordinate that as best we can. We’re here for the players to try and get them as fit as they can be for the start of the season. Once we’ve done that job we move on to try and win some trophies together.

Talk us through the general process for the coaches and medical staff when the players return for pre-season…
We look at their physical and mental condition through a series of tests early on. We get feedback from our different departments in terms of what we should be doing, what we shouldn’t; how far to go from start to finish. Then we look at how we build up that programme over the course of a four- or five-week period. That comes from experience and having good staff and good information. We’ve got that here. That provides all the ingredients for the players to be ready for the new season.

Players often mention how important it is to have the foundation of a good pre-season. Why is it so important?
Every day is important in pre-season, you’re building vital stamina and speed. So when the competition starts, you’re able to compete in three games a week, and you’re sharp enough to perform at a high level. If you miss days in pre-season, once you get into competition you never get those days back unless you take the player out of the scene altogether. You’re chasing that base of fitness whilst you’re playing. It’s always difficult to do that because when you’re playing you’re in a state of play-recovery-play-recovery. To regain your sharpness and physical fitness can be difficult. That’s why pre-season is very important.

So, for a coach, this must be one of the key periods in the calendar?
Well, it’s a key period for the players, so that makes it important for the coach. The players must be prepared for competition. We have an idea of where we want the players to be in terms of fitness. There may be hiccups along the way, but we’re confident we can get the players ready for that first game.