I know we're top and we've won four out of four, so really I'm not moaning in the slightest, but is it not slightly concerning that our players are tired after 4 games of the season ??
No, it's an inevitable consequence of 5 games in 2 weeks. The squad is fitter than ever, and with no midweek games for a few weeks (standby Carling Cup Round 2) we'll have no tiredness problems.
In the earlier games, they looked like they could play the full 100 min (as Nigel says), but this game was more stressful. Always harder to chase the ball than to pass it. Also we'd had 2 away matches...travelling takes it out of you. More restful week now and they'll be raring to go come Saturday.
Having no midweek game this week could be the difference on saturday, Leicester are playing midweek again !
We needn't fear anyone in this league. Not that we can't be beaten (I'm not that biased) but because we are of a standard that can compete with anyone in the Championship.
We've worked so hard to get 4 wins that the players are going to be tired. The high tempo 90 minutes against Leeds, battling display against Barnsley, 70 mins of great play against Ipswich and holding on against a hard working side yesterday takes it toll. Plus the fact it was boiling hot yesterday.
Was very hot and humid inside the ground yesterday, contributed a lot to the slow pace. What with all the travelling the team had done in the week, no surprise at all. Got a full week to recover, not an issue at all.
We've just come up from League One so it will definitely be a shock for some players to play Monday Tuesday week in week out. We have also started with almost the same line up for four games now so it may just be a case of needing to freshen up the starting line up against Leicester.
I think it may have been a combination of a number reasons. It was very hot out there, the number of games played recently, the physical demands of that type of game and most significantly IMO the style we are now playing. Maintaining a pass and movement style saps the stamina. No matter how much fitter they all seem to be they are probably not used to this level of exertion. I'm not surprised some of them are feeling tired, they're all working a lot harder but we've got a capable squad to step in when required.
Some of the crowd expect the players to chase the ball like headless chickens for 90 minutes. This is not possible, I thought they coped well and hung on for a hard thought victory, and that old cliche of "good teams win even when they don't play well"
Adkins implied after the match that he may have made a mistake by using the same starting eleven again.
We had exactly the same number of games last season? And especially as our fixtures backed up after cancellations we were playing twice a week for the last month or so so it shouldn't be a shock surely?
The players are going to be sufering a new kind of motivation, for them soon, and that is having to continue to lead the league. It's often easier to play catch-up. As they say in many forms of sports, it's better to chase the leader, because the motivation is automatic. I think they're up to it though, because it's a shared responsibility..
They are supposed to be highly trained sportsman, they should be able to cope with two 90 minute games of football in week for crying out loud , it's not as if they are rushed of the feet the rest of the week is it....and if they cant cope what have our fitness coaches being do for the last 6 weeks
It’s early in the season the players fitness in improves the season wears on. It’s the same with England games we are always poor for the September international games
True, but with all due respect to the teams in League One, the pace and play was not of the same quality as in the Championship. Also, a lot of teams used to "park the bus" against us whereas the games we've played this season have been played at a real high tempo which with Monday Tuesday fixtures week in week out, I expect the players to be tired.
To be fair, I don't care if the players come out through the tunnel with caps, candles, pillows and duvets, so they can all have a snooze, provided they win.
