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Travelling parties in the U.S. 🇺🇸
To give you some idea of how logistically vast a club’s pre-season tour can be, Arsenal’s headcount for their trip to the United States was 125 — factoring in analysts, security and boardroom executives.
Wolverhampton Wanderers were more conservative, taking 85 people with them for three friendlies in Florida and Maryland, but even so, the admin around these trips abroad is mind-boggling. Go behind the scenes of a Premier League tour, as The Athletic’s Adam Crafton has with Wolves, and you’ll see.
Adam spent three days inside Wolves’ Fort Lauderdale camp, based on the site used by Inter Miami and Lionel Messi. His extensive diary drew a conclusion: while the lure of pre-season in the U.S. for Premier League teams is unashamedly commercial, coaches and players are there to graft. It’s business, for sure… but their version of it.
In less than two weeks, Wolves start the new season against Arsenal, which is why one of the training sessions run by head coach Gary O’Neil was shaped around a specific scenario — defending a 1-0 lead at the Emirates with two minutes left. Has O’Neil read the tea leaves?
Meeting some famous faces at @InterMiamiCF 🙌 pic.twitter.com/dKcYvCU6uh
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 2, 2024
‘You can’t come back in disgrace’
It’s no secret that approaches to pre-season have changed, in more respects than one. Defender Matt Doherty remembers 7am starts under Kenny Jackett at Wolves and running until he was physically sick under Antonio Conte at Tottenham Hotspur.
The ‘flog ‘em until they drop’ regimen is no longer fashionable — partly because it’s no longer necessary. Very few players are ever in anything other than excellent shape.
Wolves’ squad were ordered to do precisely nothing for two weeks after the 2023-24 season. Far from worrying about them letting their hair down, coaches were concerned they would start individual fitness programmes and refuse to switch off at all. Because these days, footballers don’t.
As Doherty says: “You have to maintain yourself or you’ll be left behind. You can’t come back in disgrace, as I have done in the past.”
That attitude seeps into everything, not least diet and nutrition. Players are so schooled in the value of healthy eating that they can’t tolerate anything else. To quote Wolves’ head of high performance, Phil Hayward: “If we put out loads of burgers and pizzas at lunchtime, they’d be moaning.”
Pillows, underwear and lots of kit
So how much planning is required? Let’s just say Wolves didn’t travel light or on a whim.
Two tonnes of kit went to the States with the club, including six matchday shirts per head, a minimum of three pairs of boots each (five for Doherty) and a big stash of Y-fronts, including a different brand for Pedro Neto.
Neto is one of those who provides his own underwear (Jack Thomas – WWFC/Wolves via Getty Images)
Their hotel was also equipped with three types of pillows — but if that was not enough for a good night’s sleep, club doctors encouraged players to use special light glasses and prescribed melatonin tablets to combat jet lag.
The level of detail will make me follow Wolves’ forthcoming season with interest. Whether it clicks nicely or goes badly, nobody can accuse O’Neil of leaving his players undercooked.
Man City’s American Dream 🗽
Research says that one in three U.S. football fans are yet to choose a club to follow. That’s a lot of fresh meat for hungry Premier League outfits.
Naturally, Manchester City are all over the American scene. This summer, they’ve launched a partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment (John Cena is big on Erling Haaland, apparently) and Jack Grealish hobnobbed with Rihanna for a bit of extra PR.
“Our CEO and bosses are happy,” said Pep Guardiola, who never gives the impression of particularly enjoying the hard-sell side of pre-season — but the City manager will be cautiously happy after their time in the States ended with a 4-2 win over Chelsea.
City came away from the friendly with big pluses. Haaland scored a hat-trick and is returning ominously fresh after missing Euro 2024. Oscar Bobb came up with a lovely goal. We’ll see more of that and of him in the months ahead.
City weren’t especially close to full strength — but Chelsea were. The sight of them 4-0 down rattled a few cages. Their defending against Haaland not only allowed the fox into the chicken coop but supplied the marinade too.
Guardiola was charitable to new Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca. He blamed a poor pitch. We’ll see about that, because these clubs meet on the Premier League’s first weekend. Can Chelsea get it together in a fortnight?
Tours to the U.S. leave nowhere to hide. The pursuit of engagement and big crowds demands attractive fixtures, meaning Chelsea found themselves at the mercy of Guardiola while Barcelona and Real Madrid fought out El Clasico and Liverpool stuck three unanswered goals past Manchester United.
Two takeaways from Liverpool’s 3-0 win in South Carolina: they’ve signed nobody yet but they look more set for the starting gun than United. And despite United’s expenditure, Rasmus Hojlund’s injury leaves Erik ten Hag short of a No 9.
The United manager is talking about playing Bruno Fernandes up front. Perhaps that’s what the games of rock, paper, scissors were about.
Transfer Talk 🗣️
It’s busy. Very busy.
Gallagher captained Chelsea last season (Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Gold Rush 🥇
The men’s semi-finals take place at the Olympic Games today and, given all the controversy in France, you hardly dare guess what’s coming next.
Tensions were understandably high as France knocked out Argentina on Friday. That relationship will take a lot of repairing, with the full-time whistle bringing scuffles on the pitch.
On the women’s front, Trinity Rodman dragged a fatigued U.S. through their quarter-final meeting with Japan. Rodman’s father, Dennis, was basketball’s rebound god. She served up a timely three-pointer, and it’s Germany next tomorrow.
But Canada are out after their defence of the gold medal ended against Germany. They fly home to face the music and more awkward questions after their drone-spying scandal.
Disappointment, meanwhile, for the USMNT in the final of the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship last night. They were seconds from beating Mexico but lost in extra time. Still, I wouldn’t want you to miss the banger from Brooklyn Raines that got them through the semis…
OH MY GOODNESS!!!
What a goal from the @usynt to take back the lead late 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/ZOBFzJtGNj
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 2, 2024
📺 Olympics, men’s football semi-finals (kick-offs in ET/BST)
Morocco vs Spain (12pm/5pm), Peacock/Discovery+
France vs Egypt (3pm/8pm), Peacock, USA Network/Discovery+
Quiz Answer❓
Our poser on Friday wanted you to name the seven American players who appeared more than 100 times in the Premier League and registered at least one goal and one assist.
They were: Brian McBride, Claudio Reyna, Clint Dempsey, DeAndre Yedlin, Geoff Cameron, Jonathan Spector and (as if you didn’t get this one) goalkeeper Tim Howard.
Read the full article here