HSV’s Poulsen plan: can load management bring peak form? | OneFootball

Yussuf Poulsen is expected to play a significantly bigger role for HSV in the future than he did in his first year. But how can the club achieve that goal?

To ensure the experienced Dane is available as consistently as possible after a debut season heavily affected by injuries, Hamburg appear to be relying on targeted workload management during pre-season. In U.S. sports, this is often referred to as “load management.”

As Sport Bild reports, the 32-year-old’s workload is currently being managed individually. The coaching and medical staff are said to decide every day how many minutes Poulsen spends on the training pitch. Especially on days with two sessions, the plan is for the striker to cut short certain parts of training or even skip them entirely.

Photo: IMAGO

How consistently HSV are pursuing this approach was already evident at the training camp in Helsingør. There, Poulsen ended one session early. However, the reason was not a new injury, but simply that he had reached his previously defined workload limit.

The caution is not without reason. Last season, the former Leipzig professional was repeatedly sidelined by muscle and ligament injuries. In the end, he made just 15 Bundesliga appearances, only one of them from the start. For a player who had even been named captain last summer, that is a disappointing record.

HSV star Poulsen hopes for Denmark comeback

Poulsen himself is optimistic. “After last year, it feels good to be able to start pre-season without any issues,” said the goalscorer. “During last season, I probably pushed my body too hard at times because I really wanted to help the team.”

HSV are now hoping for the opposite effect: less strain in training, but more availability on matchdays. And even if he is unlikely to become a permanent starter again, Poulsen remains an important option in attack in coach Merlin Polzin’s plans.

If they manage to keep him fit over the long term, the 87-cap international could even become an option for Denmark again. “I don’t think that chapter is definitively closed,” said Poulsen, referring to his international career. Could the newly introduced Hanseatic load management perhaps even earn him a place at Euro 2028?

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.