Carlos preparing for Xmas chaos
WHILE some sides bemoan the arrival of an international break, for Huddersfield Town it may have arrived at just the right time.
Four points taken from the last 15 available is not the type of return manager Carlos Corberan is looking for and while the Terriers sit comfortably in mid-table, an opportunity to take stock and plan the next phase was welcome.
That next phase includes the usual frantic run up to and including Christmas.
Starting with today’s trip to Stoke City, Corberan’s players face 11 games before the end of the year, with the week leading into Christmas the only one to not feature a Tuesday or Wednesday match. Frantic doesn’t even begin to cover it.
Knowing the demands facing his players, the manager says he has used the international break to put the focus on one area.
Physical preparation for what lies ahead is important, but it has been developing the style and mentality needed to navigate a demanding and potentially rewarding period which is crucial.
“I think one of the keys in this period and the work we’ve done in the international break was to prepare the team for this number of games we are going to live right now,” explained Corberan.
“Of course it’s not the same time you have to work with the players when you have games. After this game on Saturday we’re going to play every two or three days, so the time you can train with the players after playing the games is reduced.
“So we were trying to improve all the possibilities to work a lot with the players we have here ready to work with us.
“We only lost two players: we lost Naby Sarr because he was with the (Senegal) national team and Juninho Bacuna (with Curacao) too, but all the other players were here working with us and it helped us develop the ideas that as a team we need to have and helped us develop the character we are going to need.
“It also allowed us to develop the style of play that for me is going to be one of the things that helps us be more successful over this period of time.”