João Schmidt, Thaciano and Gabriel Menino begin physical transition at Santos | OneFootball

Santos began their mid-season work on Monday at CT Rei Pelé, with João Schmidt, Thaciano and Gabriel Menino moving into the physical transition phase after recent muscle injuries.

According to Diario Do Peixe, the trio trained on the pitch while the rest of the squad underwent medical and fitness assessments run by CEPRAF. The plan is for a gradual reintegration into full group sessions.

The staff are using the break to bring back players who ended the first half of the year in the treatment room. The club have roughly one month to prepare before returning to action.

This week’s schedule includes double sessions from Tuesday (23) to Friday (26). On Saturday (27) and Sunday (28), training is set for the morning only.

The club’s health unit coordinator Rodrigo Zogaib said the World Cup window would allow more complete physical preparation and better injury prevention. He noted that a curtailed start to the Paulista, with only eight days of pre-season, limited work and contributed to more injuries in April and May across Brazilian clubs.

Zogaib added that more than 20 days of work now should help reduce problems, although an average gap of three to six days between matches remains tight through the rest of the season. Santos hope to restore options and enter the second half better placed for the Campeonato Brasileiro, Copa do Brasil and Copa Sul-Americana.

Source: Diario Do Peixe