“A wonderful feeling” | OneFootball

After reporting for pre-season training on Monday, Farès Chaibi talks about his short summer break, his fitness levels and Eintracht’s style of play.

Farès Chaibi only arrived at Eintracht’s Grassau training camp on Monday, but the Algerian’s first full day of training – which included a gym session, a warm-up, team training, stability exercises, strength training, yoga and much more besides – lasted a good three hours. Chaibi sat down with us to discuss his first impressions of the camp, the summer break and his fitness levels.

Farès, what are your first impressions of Lake Chiemsee?“My first full day of training was perfect for getting back into the swing of things. Unlike most other days, the intensity wasn’t too high. From a personal perspective, it’s obviously important to get to know my new coaches and staff members first. The trip to Lake Chiemsee and the team night out came at just the right time. On the pitch, it’s all about things becoming second nature again. I have to say, the lads had already been working really hard before I arrived. Everyone’s happy. We need to keep it up – we have to in fact – so we can hit our maximum performance level soon.”

How did you spend the summer break?“After the World Cup I took two weeks off, during which I tried to recover. The break wasn’t quite the same as previous years, when we had a little over a month off. That’s why I tried to focus even more on my recovery.” 

You’re fully recharged then?“The batteries are fully charged again. It feels good to be back with the team. I wasn’t able to join in on Monday because I only arrived after the session had already started. On Tuesday, I finally had the ball at my feet again – and it was a wonderful feeling. That’s just how it should be during pre-season. I think it’s paying off that I didn’t just put my feet up while I was on holiday, and was therefore able to kick things off at a decent fitness level. Everything else comes from training with the team.”

Have you had any clues about Eintracht’s style of play or your role in the team? “I’ve been speaking to the coach every day so far. We’ve only known each other for a few days and will certainly have more in-depth discussions in the coming weeks. That’s when we’ll talk about more specific tactical matters.”