There is not long to go until our team departs Saalfelden and heads back to their Taxham base. Our training camp is still operating at full blast for now though. Have you wondered just what a day in the life of our training camp looks like? We asked our head coach Pepijn Lijnders …
6:00: The early bird catches the worm - an old adage that our coach sticks by, without even needing an alarm clock. He says: "I'm kind of an early bird. I always try to go to bed early and wake up early."
6:15: Our coach tends to waste no time at all before getting out and about - either with a jog or a walk, depending on what the rest of the day might look like: "It helps me to start the day with a clear head by running through this beautiful landscape. As a coach you don't live from day to day, but from training to training - my thoughts are always on the next session, as each session should be a masterpiece in the end!"
07:30: After Pep has come back to the hotel and freshened up, it's time for a bit of breakfast. Whether at a training camp or at home, the same thing is on his menu at this time of day: "I really got the taste for the way the English do breakfast. I have porridge with oat milk and lots of fruit every day!"
08:30: Time for the first meeting. Pepijn speaks with those he works closest with on items such as the next training session and the current state of the team: "It's not always deadly serious, of course, when we have discussions. We have some laughs at times too."
09:00: An hour-and-a-half before the first session, we have our analysis meeting. Our upcoming opponents are being analysed every day and in every regard: "We look, for example, for the video clips we can show the team depending on the topics we are covering today." After that comes a meeting with the medical department, as decisions are made on which players will complete which parts of the training session.
10:00: Pep Lijnders takes to the training pitch together with his assistant and close confidante, Vitor Matos: "It's my favourite walk of the day! We talk about the final details of the session here."
10:30: Our first training session of the day starts with a talk from our coach to our Red Bulls. "At the start of a training session, I always try to point out to the team what a privileged situation we are in, why we love this sport and what the next 90 minutes are all about. The players need to go about their work with joy and give everything for our idea of playing football! I try to give my all too and create good relationships. There is a saying 'the players don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care.' "
12:30: After a shower, it's time to take lunch together. There are often appointments of all kinds after that, be it media appointments, chats with our CEO Stephan Reiter or similar things: "It was a bit quieter today, and we had the chance to go and play squash for 30 minutes. Sports like that really help you to switch off, as you get totally absorbed in playing. The best ideas you get often come right afterwards."
16:00: Our staff meet to talk through the second training session of the day: "It's a similar routine to the morning. We go through the exercises and the aims we are following. The team doctor is there too and tells us if there are any problems."
17:00: Time for the second session out on the pitch in Saalfelden. It will be just as intensive as in the morning, and Pepijn Lijnders has just as much passion as he talks our boys through it all: "The pitch is our place of work for 90 minutes, and we have to be fully focused."
19:00: Having returned to his room, our coach takes a little time for a breather: "I try to have a video call with my wife and children, if I can, to talk through the day."
19:30: A meal together with the whole team is the final item on the agenda of a long day at the training camp, before Pep sees out the evening with the rest of the staff: "We have our own room in the hotel where we can sit together, drink a tea and chat about anything and everything - it doesn't have to be about football." Our coach then goes for an early night before waking up early again for the next full-on day.
