Last Monday marked the start of Valmiera FC’s preparation process for the upcoming Optibet futbola Virsliga season, which is set to start in two months’ time.
A large group of players reported to the training camp – this week led by team strength and conditioning coach Ivo Lakucs. Some of the guys had already been working to get in shape as the first batch began their workout prior to Christmas. The team spent most of the time working in the gym while also practicing on the pitch at the Valmiera Olympic Center. The maiden week of the training camp ended in a split-squad game for the team which ended in a friendly draw.
After the game, the man behind the process – Ivo Lakucs gave an insight into what has been accomplished and what’s to come.
‘’We have started off resolutely, with determination as it usually is early on. Our plan was fulfilled by about 97%. The friendly was just a cherry on top after starting with basic things and the activation process. Now it’s all about getting ready to play football.’’
From a coach’s point of view, the first week was a warmup so that the team can begin training at full capacity. ‘’Honestly, we’ve done a lot of great work as the previous season ended. We kept our players around for almost a month so that the base condition could be set and we wouldn’t have to start off from a scratch. The exercise technique hasn’t disappeared either so it’s easier to work and saves a lot of time for us.’’
Although the preparation process is meant to assure that the team is ready for the Virsliga season, the past errors are being ironed out: ‘’We couldn’t score a lot of goals last season and it made me think during the off-season about what the issue is – was it balance, was it a psychological thing? I’ll try my best to fix that and we will see what happens. There’s time for experiments but the season will be here shortly. The team consists of many personalities and we’re trying to build those as well. A strong personality brings confidence and that’s what I really like about football.’’
The team is scheduled to play more than 10 pre-season games against strong opponents, the last one on March 5th against FK Metta right before the opening week of Optibet futbola Virsliga season which is set to start on March 11.
We will keep you updated on the newest developments and make sure you won’t miss anything.
