England fatigue is inevitable, but attention to detail can help Gareth Southgate counteract it

As Chelsea and Manchester United’s England World Cup squad contingent head to the beaches for the week, and Liverpool’s duo prepare for their Champions League date in Kiev, the physical and mental slog of football’s hamster wheel starts again for 17 English footballers on Monday.

Ahead of them lies a possible eight-week stretch of daily focus on the preparation and participation in the world’s greatest tournament. Whether they can switch back on their physical and mental skills, individually and collectively, is the biggest unknown for Gareth Southgate and his medical and performance team.

While England will be handicapped by not having their full squad together until June 4, Dave Reddin, head of team strategy and performance, and his team will have been preparing hard to ensure that the handover of players from clubs is smooth and ensure that wherever possible individual club-based fitness and load management programmes are adhered to.

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Quite a few of the players have not been regular starters for their teams, whilst the Leicester and Tottenham players have been involved week in week out for their team, compared to the Manchester City players who have in effect been celebrating more than training every week since they won the Premier League in April. The transitioning process will require compromises from the technical coaching team to give time and resources to bring the players up to a common fitness level.

Conquering fatigue is the goal, in order to get the most of the forthcoming training block and avoid a slump in six weeks’ time when England may be entering the latter stages of the tournament.

Fatigue is different to fitness or weakness. It is a symptom and is subjective. There are certain markers but it comes on gradually and can stem from mental or physical causes. It can lead to lethargic movement and lapses in concentration.

England’s team management will need to rely on players self-reporting an individual wellness score daily. This reporting, often done in clubs via an app, seeks to understand the player’s energy levels for the day ahead while tracking perceived sleep quality and energy patterns over time. Nutrition, sleep and sensory deprivation are all small strategies to boost player energy levels and mental alertness.

We can only speculate about how much cumulative fatigue the players are carrying, but it will be up to the management team to keep them stimulated during the forthcoming three weeks at St George’s Park and London, and then during the tournament. While climate is unlikely to play a major factor, the medical and performance team will be praying for a sunny, warm end to May. Wind and rain would only add to mental fatigue levels buffeted by 10 intense months of domestic football.

While there is a return to basics approach with no Miami holding camp or confiscation of passports, Spain, France and Germany still have one striking difference in their tournament year calendars; the winter break.

Data soon to be released by the Football Research Group adds weight to the argument that a winter break allows for recovery from physiological and mental stress. Reviewing injury and load data from 56 teams in 15 European countries over seven consecutive seasons, the data points to a higher risk of problems in the second half of the season for teams without a break.

Southgate will know mental alertness and physical sharpness will go a long way to determining which team is victorious. He will be hoping attention to small details, improved club relationships and a younger, enthusiastic squad counteract the inevitable fatigue of his players.

Michael Davison is managing director, Isokinetic Medical Group, London