In his pre-Chelsea press conference on Friday, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot was asked if he worked through the international break or took some time off, and he landed somewhere in the middle:
“I think a bit of both. It starts off with the first thing you said, taking a mental break. That’s why I think it’s so, so, so normal that Virgil didn’t stay with the team but came back. At certain moments, managers but also players need these mental breaks.
“It’s not that it’s too hard for us physically – especially not for me because I am not playing – but mentally it asks a lot from you. I think I came back on Tuesday to Liverpool and then you start thinking about Chelsea, thinking about Leipzig, thinking about what we have to improve [and] what other teams can try to come up with.
“So, it’s a bit of both but if I’m back home I am quite good at not thinking about football. Although it is never completely out of your head, [it is] more than it is when I am here.”
While much chat has surrounded the constricting schedule at the top level of sport as more and more games are added, attention is mostly on the physical strain — a strain which can increase injuries and potentially even limit player longevity.
Slot here points out another aspect when players have very little time off: mental strain. Having to be “on” all the time surely takes it’s toll as well.
