VCF fitness coach, Juan Solla: "You train how you play. You have to train with intensity, so that this is transmitted on the pitch"

Valencia CF fitness coach Juan Solla has been busy planning the preseason workload, and he took time out to talk to VCF Media this week about the task at hand.

"I can see that we've got a professional group here. Everybody's come back in pretty good shape. I can see that these people look after themselves. It's true that the summer break has been short for them, after a very atypical season.

"I can see a good group to work with, and the feeling about it is good," he said.

Solla is helping new coach Javi Gracia to ready the squad, and he is full of praise for the VCF boss.

"Javi is somebody who is very concerned about his work. He's very involved and very hardworking. He's the first to arrive here, and the last to leave. He's not just showing his face here; he's here to work and to think about the situation, work on the tactical side and be highly prepared for each training session. He reflects a lot on our daily work, and the situation the squad are in. I think that those are his characteristics: He likes the profession, and he has a desire to improve and to grow.

"One of the biggest headaches when it comes to designing the daily plan is trying to make it so that, when the player arrives, he doesn't know what the warmup is going to be or the work that he will do. We've got around 300 training sessions per year, and one of the important things is giving variety in the content of the training. There is always a clear plan, but there are several ways of working on strength and endurance. There are various ways of working on tactics. We work on that variety so that the player doesn't find it monotonous."

"We train with intensity. A recurring phrase is that 'you train how you play.' You have to train with intensity, so that this is transmitted on the pitch. If you don't do it during the week, then it's going to be difficult to do it at the weekend. You can do it for some of the game, but we train to play in a set way. We train intensely, so that in the game the things we prepare show through."

"We've had to change the training sessions recently, and quickly adapt them. We'd been informed 3 hours before what the situation was. We had individual sessions, then 6 players on each pitch. Then there were another 6 who could train in this gym, because it's big. We had shifts of 12 players. 

"It meant that we had very individual sessions and players couldn't pass the ball. That affected things. If not, we'd be doing a lot more out on the pitch -a much higher percentage. At the moment we haven't been able to do that, and we've been working more 'analytically.'

"The objectives are to increase the performance level of each player as high as possible, within the time that we have, and safely. Above all, it has to be done safely. We want the group to grow together, and that there aren't many people with problems. We want the group to be compact and to avoid big problems with injuries."

"The general idea is that there are few problems, and that the group can move forward together.

"We have to be a strong group; a group of players who are united and pull in the same direction. There will obviously always be players who participate more than others. In this case, the role of those who don't play will also be fundamental to ensuring a high level in training. They have to be ready when they are needed, because every player is necessary. They have to take on that role and make sure that the team functions as a unit.

Describing himself, Solla says that:

"I'm somebody who likes football and who likes training. I like working with people and that people grow with me. I treat players as people, which is what they really are. Each one has their own individual characteristics and capacity to adapt to different situations. I'm excited about the project here at Valencia CF."