Fulham's squad preparation for
the new season, under the supervision of Manager Jean Tigana, Assistant
Manager Christian Damiano and Fitness Coach Roger Propos has advanced into
the second phase.
There will now be a week in a Luxembourg training camp where the squad will
be put through their paces in preparation for three pre-season friendlies
in the next 10 days,13/07/01 Nancy, 17/07/01 Sparta Prague and Celtic on
20/07/01. (full
fixture list /schedule)
Assistant Manager Christian Damiano explained
the decision to take the squad abroad and the approach to pre-season training:
"It is an interesting change for the
players to train in another country. We have a long pre-season in front
of us so it's important to change the surroundings for the players to
help them keep focused and work hard."
"Coming back from the summer break
and straight into a training regime can be psychologically trying for
some players. It is for this reason that a change of scenario can prove
to be beneficial in providing players with a fresh outlook to the forthcoming
season."
"The first three friendly matches
are good preparation for us. It is a very interesting situation because
we now have a more difficult division in front of us and we need to play
teams of higher quality to prepare properly." Damiano explained
Looking back on last year's friendlies
against the like of Brentford and Barnet, Damiano revealed the reasons
for selecting those matches and how the squad's needs have changed this
season:
"Last season the situation was different,
we needed to build confidence in the squad. The players needed time to
adjust to a new system. Now the players know how we want them to play,
we have to advance and make them adapt to better opposition."
Coverage of the first pre-season friendly
against Nancy will start on Friday 13th July at 6pm UK time (7pm French
time).
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