Monster program

Sturm have already broken this record!

"We also lacked a bit of freshness and energy," said Christian Ilzer after the points were shared in the Styrian derby in Hartberg. Underlines: The intensive program has also left its mark on Sturm. The Blacks have 22 Bundesliga matches in their bones, plus six Europa League games, four Cup duels, three games in the Conference League and two in the Champions League qualifiers. That makes 37 games, according to Adam Riese.

There is still no time to put your feet up: Lille await on Thursday, Klagenfurt away on Sunday - already the fourth English week of the spring. Only then will there be a short recovery phase with the international break. "But we also have a lot of team players who will play two games again. At a high level, which is another advantage," says Marco Angeler. Of course, the rest can't rest on their laurels either.

 "We're not running the program at full speed. We will also train with intensity during the break, but reduce the load, keep the training volume lower," explains Sturm's athletics coach, who has all the fitness data of the Ilzer squad up his sleeve. "That's an illusion "The team break will also be used to focus more on training content again. Because in English weeks, apart from regeneration and match preparation, hardly anything can be done in this respect.

In order to be able to switch off from soccer and clear his head, there will also be days off after the monster program. "That's just as important! It's an illusion that you're mentally at 100 percent all year round, that doesn't work. It's like other employees, sometimes you're more productive, sometimes less," explains the black fitness boss.

Improving speed and precision
After the team break, the batteries have to be full for the title fight - especially for Sturm! It's not just the triple workload in recent months that has taken its toll, but also the exhausting and intense style of play that saps a lot of energy from the professionals. Angeler: "That's our DNA, that's what makes us successful. Data has again shown that we ran the most of all the Bundesliga teams. And a lot of it was at the high end. We want to continue to improve in terms of pace and precision." So that they can also hold a candle to clubs like Lille.