Wales manager Rob Page is taking an active approach in understanding what his senior players, such as Gareth Bale, require in order to perform at their optimum ahead of the Qatar World Cup.
Speaking individually to these players, Page then says he has the information he needs to tailor training accordingly. Believing it is the best way to get the most out of his senior stars, Page suggests it is about showing respect so that he is repaid with high-quality performances.
Speaking exclusively to FourFourTwo in the latest issue, a World Cup special available to order, Page explains: "I pull in each of the senior players – Wayne Hennessey, Joe Allen, Aaron Ramsey, Gareth, all of the players who might need a little bit more care – and just see where they’re at. I show them that respect.
"I have five minutes with them and check what they need to get them out there. I’ll work backwards – if the game is on Saturday, tell me what you need and we’ll factor that into training.
"Sometimes I’ll switch training sessions around if I haven’t got them available to train on that certain day; I’m not going to be arrogant enough to say, “No, no, you’re training on this day, with this intensity”, because I’m not going to get them fit that way. By showing them respect, you get it back 100 times."
Of course, that group of four core aforementioned players range in age between 31 and 35, with Ramsey and Bale in particular both suffering from well-documented injury problems the last few years.
Both players recently switched clubs in the summer, too, with Ramsey moving to Nice in France while Bale upped sticks from Madrid and opted to travel to Los Angeles FC in America.
Despite the oft-cited preference Bale has of playing for his country, Page understands that, at 33, Bale could choose to retire from international football after the Qatar World Cup. While the newly appointed permanent manager would obviously prefer Bale to stay involved, he told FFT that he isn't going to place any pressure on him to do so.
For Page, Bale has earned the right to make that decision himself uninterrupted, and if the 2022 World Cup are his final games with Wales then so be it.
"I’m leaving him to it. We’d just qualified for the World Cup, so I wasn’t going to be negative and ask him how long he thinks he’s going to play for. He’ll make that decision based on what’s right for him and his family."
