Hard-Working Players are Averaging Over 12km

To be a top-class athlete, stamina is required and recently released statistics show that players at the World Cup 2018 are averaging over 12km per game despite the searing heat. We take a look at how players such as Denmark’s Christian Eriksen maintain their high level of fitness throughout the season.

Hard-Working Players are Averaging Over 12km Per Match at the World Cup 2018

Source: Squawka News via Twitter

Eriksen is generally considered to be one of Europe’s best box-to-box midfielders and players in his position are expected to cover a lot of ground. Prior to his side’s exit from the competition against Croatia on July 1st, the Spurs midfielder had already covered an accumulative total of 36.42km across 270 minutes of football. This statistic is even more impressive when you consider that temperatures have been averaging mid-to-late twenties.

During the Premier League season, Eriksen also covered 418.88km and played a key role in Spur’s quest for European football. He is likely to be an integral part of the side next season with Mauricio Pochettino’s men aiming for a top-four finish. They are 4/5 to secure Champions League football in the football betting markets for the 2018-19 Premier League season.

Maintaining fitness is absolutely essential for a box-to-box midfielder such as Eriksen and in such a physically demanding position, certain training regimes are required. The lifespan of an elite-level football is a short one but long and arduous seasons are often followed by international competitions and it’s important that players do not over-extend in the early stages of the campaign. Long distance runners use very similar methods when training for marathons or triathlons and these help pump oxygen-rich blood around the body with a mixture of aerobic and anaerobic fitness required to ensure that fitness level do not drop.

Players need to ensure that they are able to sustain intensive activity over longer periods of time. Eriksen rarely gets substituted and he is likely to play a full 90 minutes and that’s because he is well-versed in maintaining his energy levels throughout the duration of the game.

Source: World Cup Stat Man via Twitter

Eriksen’s feat of endurance is particularly impressive given that he is able to run over seven miles per game as well as create chances, find the perfect pass and score the occasional goal. This places a huge demand on both the body and brain and the amount of intensity changes required per game is substantial.

Players will occasionally complete long-distance runs in order to maintain their fitness levels but they are more likely to undergo tried and tested methods such as the bleep/beep test and regimes such as sprinting 60 metres before swiftly changing direction. These are repeated several times. Any kind of interval training will also help significantly improve endurance over a longer period of time and ensure a build up lactic acid.

There are many similarities between top-level football players and marathon runners but the latter are rarely required to change pace or intensity throughout their training. Players such as Christian Eriksen will cover plenty of ground but it’s the constant changes of direction, speed and intensity which help differentiate him from your average footballer.

Christian Eriksen gets plenty of plaudits for his performances in the Premier League but his prolonged energy levels are hugely impressive and it is something that he has built upon over a number of years. He covered a significant distance in Russia and he’s not showing any signs of slowing down.