Pants for regeneration

The ÖFB team has 30 hours to catch up with Poland

Wöber (left), Posch & Co. were just loosening up on their Technogym bikes yesterday,

(Bild: ÖFB/Kelemen)

Austria's national team wants to turn tiredness into energy in the race against time. Eating, drinking, sleeping - and clear heads are the most important things now after the 0:1 against France and ahead of the promotion duel with Poland.

Baumgartner, Danso and Co. were allowed to briefly embrace their loved ones, i.e. the families who had suffered in the stands behind the bench, in the team hotel Hyatt after the 0:1 in Düsseldorf. Important for the head, the mental freshness. The race against time was already underway.

(Bild: APA/GEORG HOCHMUTH)

Wöber (left), Posch & Co. only relaxed on their Technogym bikes yesterday,

(Bild: ÖFB/Kelemen)

30 hours ahead of the Poles, who lost 2:1 to Holland on Sunday (3pm), they have to catch up. "Regeneration starts in the dressing room, where you take in as much liquid as you can. Water, gels," explains athletics coach Gerhard Zallinger, who has been with the ÖFB since 2011. They ate at the hotel after midnight. "You have to get your nutrients right away," says the sports scientist with a doctorate. "And then get a good night's sleep."

Pants for regeneration
Which wasn't easy after the bitter 0:1. The team only returned to Berlin yesterday morning and training on the pitch was canceled. The garden at the Schlosshotel was enough for the "relaxation exercises". Plus manual therapies and massages. "We want to take the players out of their routines as little as possible, we just support them," says Zallinger. Everyone knows what they need. Many ÖFB stars use "recovery pants", i.e. pants for regeneration. A combination of cold, heat and pressure applications.

The right dose
Today, too, there will only be a light unit, i.e. activated - Zallinger: "We want to build up energy, not waste it. You have to weigh up what kind of stimuli to use in order to be fresh on day X." This is Friday - against the Poles!

It is helpful that the ÖFB is also in constant contact with all of the team players' clubs and has comparative values: "We exchange data." For example, the CK value (muscular fatigue) is "only" measured daily at the EURO. And, of course, the training sessions are "tracked" via GPS. The rest is done via the "subjective well-being query". What is also important to Zallinger: "The players also need the opportunity to defocus." Billiards, Wuzzler and a poker table are available in the players' lounge to clear their heads."

Athletics coach Zallinger (right) keeps the squad fit.

(Bild: GEPA pictures)

"We try everything we can to turn fatigue into a high-energy state," says Zallinger. "It sounds simple, but sleep is still the most effective." But even that with the right dose.