Are we starting to see the benefit of the sports science team?

[Maldini]

We've looked very fit recently, the last few years (08/09 aside) we've been out on our feet at this stage of the season. I wonder if we're finally starting to see the benefit of all the new guys we got in the summer. Winning obviously helps but we've been finishing games strongly of late as well.

[Epic Swindle]

Maybe. They are very highly rated. Positive approach helps as well. I think too much tactical work can lead to mental and physical fatigue.

[honourablegeorge]

Everyone doing f*** all until December can't have hurt either.

[FirstDescent]

We've looked very fit recently, the last few years (08/09 aside) we've been out on our feet at this stage of the season. I wonder if we're finally starting to see the benefit of all the new guys we got in the summer. Winning obviously helps but we've been finishing games strongly of late as well.

 

Where were they at the start of the season? from what i can remember the players looked shot then. The lack of confidence etc. I assume was part of it, but still, they looked like they had been playing a full game just before kickoff.

[lfc003]

It's the confidence winning football games brings.

[Maldini]

Fitness isn't an on-off switch though, it needs to be built, from what they were saying they were doing a lot of injury prevention work at the start of the season as well. Apart from Gerrard, Agger and Aurelio there haven't been as many long term muscle injuries.

[Cam]

Here I am like a big gloomy cloud to the thread....

 

... but how many injuries have we had this season. How many do we currently have?

[aka Dus]

I always thought Rafa has us conditioned in a way that we usually finished the season very strongly, to be honest.

[Maldini]

Knocks, dislocations and breaks are unavoidable, it's the muscle injuries they can help with, I'm sure they'll have statistics themselves but there seems to be less of them to me, and even the ones we are getting they seem to return to fitness quicker.