One of the legacies of Ralf Rangnick is that at least as much value is placed on healthy nutrition in the RB Leipzig training center as on well-maintained training grounds or the right training load. Rangnick had, from his own experience, in times of his burnout as a result of a “terrible diet” (O-Ton Rangnick), the connection between well-being and eating habits was also inoculated into the RB players.
So it happens that food from A for algae to Z for zucchini is on recommendation lists to this day. Sugar and white flour are largely avoided. Food preparation on Cottaweg, for example, is only sweetened with galactose. The sense of the change in diet, say those responsible in Leipzig, has become second nature to most of the players.
No heart rate monitors and no meal plan
But what about the Christmas days when the RB professionals go into the short Christmas break after the DFB Cup game at FC Augsburg (December 22, 2020) that has not been rescheduled? When asked by sportschau.de, coach Julian Nagelsmann said: “As a professional footballer, you should always pay attention to your diet. You can already eat a cookie or Christmas stollen. But it is advisable not to drink 14 liters of cola or 21 packs of Haribo Picobello – or what they’re called – but to eat one To be disciplined little. But in a healthy human framework, so to treat yourself to something. “
Heart rate monitors are just as unnecessary as meal plans, explains Nagelsmann: “You don’t lose a lot of substance over the short distance. That’s why I don’t give you a training plan; the players have the task of regenerating.” The cup game is already the tenth competitive game in the November-December block, “therefore we do not need any additional burden over the Christmas days”.
So small sins are expressly allowed. Like FC Bayern, RB Leipzig did not have a real summer break due to the Champions League final tournament in August. It is all the more important now to loosen the reins a little. Bayern coach Hansi Flick is also sending his heavily stressed stars on vacation for more than a week after the top game against Bayer Leverkusen (December 19, 2020), because the DFB Cup game at Holstein Kiel has been postponed to January 13th.
Almost all of the players stay in Bremen
The problem, however, is the travel – if the conditions in the state in question are strict. Players like Alphonso Davies (Canada) or Douglas Costa (Brazil) cannot fly home because they would have to be in quarantine for at least five days after their return due to local regulations. Because on 2/3 January the Bundesliga continues with the 14th matchday. The quarantine rule is also becoming an insurmountable hurdle in Berlin for Union and Hertha or in Bremen for SV Werder.
Werder managing director Frank Baumann made it clear that “definitely nobody will travel overseas”. The clear requirement is that everyone must adhere to the Corona regulations, because otherwise quarantine would have to be prescribed after trips abroad. You have to come to terms with the situation, that is certain “Not ideal, but one or two families will come to Bremen – and Bremen is also very nice at Christmas, so almost all players will spend Christmas here”.
Union and Hertha affected
Union sports director Oliver Ruhnert is also following a similar path when Keita Endo (Japan) or Taiwo Awoniyi (Nigeria) are not allowed to travel. “In the end we will make sure that no player is alone at Christmas. “ Hertha has also asked its foreign players to stay in Berlin over Christmas. Trainer Bruno Labbadia gave the reason: “We are all happy that we can do our job – and we are all responsible for it.”
The SC Freiburg wants to do a similar thing, where Christian Streich only released the two Christmas days anyway. The Breisgauer are one of the five Bundesliga clubs that are still involved in the DFB Cup on December 23. The players could have gone on a home visit on Christmas Eve at the earliest. Foreign players should refrain from doing this because of the state ordinance of Baden-Württemberg, according to Freiburg.
Eight days break for Eintracht Frankfurt
But not all clubs are so restrictive: At Eintracht Frankfurt, trainer Adi Hütter and his medical staff went into detailed advice on what can be good for the head and body. Unanimous decision: The players get free immediately after the Bundesliga game at FC Augsburg from December 19 to 28. The Hessian Bundesliga team employs a large number of foreign professionals, some of whom have not seen their families for months. That is why Frankfurt immediately agreed to postpone the DFB Cup game at Bayer Leverkusen into the new year.
“It is absolutely necessary that the boys are with the family and can switch off for a few days”, asserts Hütter. “The players deserved this vacation, which is not long. They are all great professionals who can then be on the road again in terms of weight.” With the return to Frankfurt two corona tests would be carried out immediately, an individually carried out lactate test follows on the same day.
Curious rule for coach Peter Bosz
Bayer Leverkusen is proceeding in a similar way. The table leader also benefits from the fact that there are currently no current travel regulations in North Rhine-Westphalia. Lucas Alario can therefore fly to Argentina, especially since his country does not impose a quarantine requirement for nationals. It is more complicated for coach Peter Bosz, because the Netherlands have declared Germany a risk area. Travelers from Germany would have to be in house quarantine for ten days, but a stay of 24 hours is possible in both directions.
The examples show that the different entry regulations depending on the federal state and the requirements in the home country produce a certain contradiction. The German Football League (DFL) requires two PCR tests within a week between the 13th and 14th matchday, with an interval of a maximum of five days. Those who take a long break from training need two negative tests at least 24 hours apart.
Special case at 1. FSV Mainz 05
1. FSV Mainz 05 is still playing against VfL Bochum in the DFB Cup one day before Christmas Eve. However, most players can still go to their families afterwards. Coach Jan-Moritz Lichte assumes that she “only their closest relatives” to meet. Sports director Rouven Schröder expressly did not want to impose a travel ban like in other clubs: “We are very close to the players when it comes to communication. We want to know where they are going, but we have no intention of preventing them from traveling. We are people somewhere when it comes to families.”
If you do talk about recovering mentally during the mini break, Schröder made it clear, “Then two or three days in the closest circle of the family are part of it – and not Facetime, Skype, Teams or Zoom – that can’t replace anything. The best way to charge the battery is with dad and mom, and best of all live. That’s why we want when it fits, let the players travel. Despite the strange times, the family is the most important thing for mental preparation. “
Stand: 18.12.2020, 08:15
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