Town’s Manager discusses the return to First Team training
- Huddersfield Town Manager on return to training
- Danny Cowley happy with his squad’s efforts
- Watch the full interview below on #HTTV
Huddersfield Town Manager Danny Cowley has praised his players’ attitude and work ethic since the return to First Team training.
After almost two months of working at home on their individual plans, Town’s players returned back to training last week (Monday 25 May 2020) in preparation for the potential return of the Sky Bet Championship campaign.
Town’s Manager explained what the return to training has been like for him.
“It’s been different as we’ve been coaching in small groups. We’ve only been able to have five players on the grass at any one time.
“We’ve had a group at a time, 80 minutes per group, and had five groups a day, so they’ve been long days but worthwhile ones.
“It’s great to work with the players in the one-to-one nature, we’ve been able to get some really good work into them.
“In the early part of the week, we were able to work in departments, so defenders in a group, midfielders, forwards, then in the latter part of the week we moved on to the right side of the team together, left side and then central. It’s been good to develop relationships with the players.
“When you work with the players on this basis, you naturally have more contact time with them and hopefully you’re able to influence them more than maybe when you work with 20-22 people at one time.”
During lockdown, Town’s players had specific fitness and strength programmes to follow to make sure they were back in good shape for a return to training.
Cowley detailed how pleased he’s been with the players’ attitude to work, in what is still a difficult time.
“We’ve got some really good work into the players. I’ve been really impressed with their level of fitness.
“Credit to the coaching and sports science team to how the players have been looked after in that area.
“We are in a really good place, so credit to the players because their attitude and work ethic have been excellent.
“We worked really hard with them during lockdown on the physical aspect. We were able to do some video sessions and strength and conditioning work, but it was all remote work.
“We were also able to do some physical work and really affect their aerobic capacity, but it was all very straight liney.
“In the last two weeks of lockdown we were able to do more individual work; introduce balls, changes of direction, more accelerations and decelerations, more football related movement, so they came back in a good place.
“Of course, this part of our training at the minute is quite physically orientated, but at the same time we try and affect the technical and tactical aspects of the game.
“It’s been valuable for us really, when you take over a team mid-season, you get the pre-season that somebody else has planned, prepared and delivered. To have this time has been invaluable.
“We feel like we’ve made some real gains. Now we are looking forward to the next stage to go into some contact training.”
Watch Danny Cowley’s full interview below on #HTTV!
