A weighting game as boss plans return

SLAVEN Bilic has insisted his players will need around three weeks of training to hit the ground running once the season resumes, provided they have been following their individual programmes at home.

Albion await the restart of the campaign, if it is deemed safe to do so, where they sit comfortably in second place in the Championship. Provided the remaining nine games are eventually played out, Bilic anticipates his squad will require a minimum of three weeks to regain a decent level of match fitness.

“If we stay fit-ish, we’d need two-and-a-half to three weeks to be back in good form to play games,’’ said the head coach. “That’s what I told the players – stay fit, but the most important thing in that is not to gain any weight.

“I have a bit of experience because I was twice in Croatia as a manager in the Euros, when you’re basically in the situation where the players have already had their season and have a couple of weeks’ break.

“Then you have a ‘pre-season’ of three weeks before you play three, four, five, six or – in the World Cup – seven games, so I’m quite positive if they don’t gain any weight then, based on training for three weeks, we can reach the same form for the last nine games.

“Us and the teams who have been doing well, you just have to remind them a bit of what we were doing and we must do the same or similar kind of things.

“That’s why I’m quite positive with the programme we’ve made, that we’ll be in good shape when we come back. Is it going to be ideal when we come back? No, but we’re all in the same situation.”

Bilic points to first-team fitness coach Nick Davies’ role in assembling and detailing the specific programmes for each player as being key to their fitness remaining in check.

At a time where motivation levels are understandably low, Bilic is satisfied that what is being asked of the players is reasonable and stimulating.

“My idea was not to bomb them straight away with training because the programme looked great – two weeks of individual, then after two weeks we’ll do three weeks of groups of five or six, then after that, the last two weeks, we’ll explode – we’re going to be great,’’ he said.

“That’s great if we play after five weeks – but what happens if you’re not playing? That’s why we opted for a ‘maintaining’ programme, just stay in good shape, don’t get any weight and do your stuff.

“Nick did brilliant training stuff, they’re not boring but they’re not killing you. With that approach, I’m sure we’ll have a good balance of keeping them fit and not having the danger of burnout.

“We’ve made, I think, a really good decision – the response from the guys, the stuff from Nick, we’re on a good track. We’re in a good way if it is to start, as they are saying, maybe in June.”