Reset, Recover and Restart

Brendan Rodgers delighted with the opportunity to tackle the rest of the season after Dubai break

- Mark Henderson

HAVING spent his entire coaching career in English football before taking the reins at Celtic, this is Brendan Rodgers’ first experience of a winter break and he believes it will produce huge benefits for his team.

The Hoops boss allowed his players just short of a week off at the start of 2017 to rest and recharge after a gruelling run of games in the first half of the season in which his side played 44 times, including friendly fixtures.

It was then on to Dubai for a winter training camp where the Bhoys have been working hard in order to be mentally and physically ready to launch themselves into part two of the season.

Around the halfway point of the trip, the manager sat down with the View and declared his delight at the positive outcomes from this brief lull in the competitive competition.

“I had a period off last Christmas which was nice but to get it during the season has been invaluable so this has been really good,” he said in an exclusive interview.

“It’s the physical and mental demands which are tough for players. It doesn’t matter how much money they earn in a week or how lucky they are to be in their sport, they still need the chance to recover as they are getting judged.

“Coming out of a real arduous period of six months, the players needed to press the reset button. Obviously after the game at New Year, we gave the players six days off to be with their families and then they have come out here and still worked very hard, but have had the chance to recuperate the body, recover and relax, grow closer together as a squad, and if any new players come in, they could come in and adapt.

“Having had a week off prior to this, coming here feels a bit like a mini pre-season. You normally go away to conditions and climates that are a bit more rigorous for your training but which also allow the players to recover and relax.