Chapter 224: Preparing for Brighton
December 12th, 2010
The morning sun struggled to pierce the thick December fog hanging over the Crawley training ground.
Inside Niels' office, the atmosphere was quiet and clinical.
He wasn't studying tactical diagrams this time.
Instead, he stared at a spreadsheet filled with physiological data heart rates, sprint loads, recovery scores. Numbers that told a story the league table could not.
December wasn't just about tactics.
Thomas, the fitness coach, tapped his pen against the iPad.
"Thiago's high-intensity sprint distance has dropped eight percent in the last three matches," he said. "Reece Darby's vertical jump test this morning also showed a four-percent drop in explosive power. They're not injured, Niels, but they're pushing their limits."
Niels leaned back and narrowed his eyes. "We're playing Brighton tomorrow. I can't exactly tell Thiago to take it easy."
