Good atmosphere and top conditions

Home to sports and training facilities for football, basketball, baseball, golf and tennis, the IMG Academy in Florida is the base from which Hertha are preparing for the remainder of the season. With 20 training pitches, large performance centres with weight rooms and fantastic regeneration facilities, head coach Sandro Schwarz is pleased. “We've arrived here in good shape and are looking forward to the top conditions. We went on a little run and inspected the grounds. There's a great atmosphere here and it's exciting to come across other sports.”

After his run, the coach had his team training a double session on the Florida Gulf Coast. In the morning, the team warmed up inside before an activation session with the ball outside. After 70 minutes, the team, divided into three groups, completed some laps. “The session was designed to get us into the swing of things,” said the head coach. In the afternoon, the team continued to work with the ball and Jonjoe Kenny scored the opening goal of the final small-sided game. “The second session was very zippy, even with the strength training beforehand,” said Schwarz, whose team trained for around 90 minutes to round off the day.

Build-up play, creating space and work on depth

The team will train twice a day until their double matchday on Sunday. “In the first block, our focus will be on build-up play, creating space, and depth. We’ll also look at set pieces,” said the 44-year-old. Sunday will see Schwarz’s side take on Club de Lyon FC (20:00 CET) and The Villages SC (23:00 CET). Both games will be played at the IMG Academy. After that, the focus will shift. “The second block will focus defending in our own area and defending crosses. That’s an area we have to improve in. And of course, we'll continue to refine the things that have made us stand out in recent months,” said the head coach. The team will play two more friendlies the following week. On 11th January, the team will take on SIMA Montverde Academy (18:00 CET), before a game against Colombian side Millonarios at Osceola County Stadium seven hours later. (01:00 CET, 12/01), before flying back to Germany on 14th January.