Former French football coach, now a mental preparation expert, Denis Troch spoke to L’Equipe about players returning to their European clubs after participating in the Africa Cup of Nations. As the game keeps developing, mental preparations and treatment of players who return from international duty become more and more important.Denis Troch spoke about African players returning from AFCON (©AFP)The former Troyes and Niort tactician says it’s essential to differentiate between the “winners” and the “disappointed.” Post-success, players may face a logical decompression. It manifests as a drop in motivation but with a easy rebound. In this case, the club should rely on the radiance of the winner to enhance the group. On the other hand, after disappointment due to early elimination or a lost final, motivation can also drop significantly, even to the point of causing depression. It must be addressed, risking that the player may show sadness or aggression in the long term, sometimes to the detriment of the club. Прикажи ову објаву у апликацији Instagram Објава коју дели Eric Leblacher (@ericleblacher) And for the most disappointed, it’s necessary to let them bounce back without putting too much pressure on them. According to Troch, players don’t really want to be pampered. They simply want to bounce back as quickly as possible, sometimes too quickly. It’s important to find the right words and to slow them down if necessary. For the most disappointed, turning the page is important to accept what has happened and to rediscover the pleasure of playing.”You have to determine if the player in question is ready or he needs time before taking the field. It’s about dialogue. Listen to them if players need to talk and try to understand their physical and mental state. Sometimes it’s better to lose eight to ten days immediately to regain a sharper player in the long run.##NAJAVA_MECA_7881554##Clubs are much more vigilant about the mental health of their players than they were twenty or thirty years ago. It has become customary, and knowledge has also progressed in this area. There is less shame in talking about failures, and players do so on social media. So, at what point can we estimate that a player has fully recovered from a competition like the AFCON?”I like to say that mourning for a competition only begins at the start of the next one. In the case of the AFCON, the cycle would therefore last two years to completely move on. However, that doesn’t prevent traumas or joys from resurfacing in similar situations during that time.”LIGUE 1Friday23.00: (2.60) Olympique Lyon (3.15) Nice (2.85)Saturday19.00: (1.55) Lille (4.00) Le Havre (7.75)23.00: (6.50) Nantes (4.30) PSG (1.50)Sunday15.00: (1.75) Strasbourg (3.60) Lorient (4.90)17.00: (1.55) Monaco (4.10) Toulouse (6.00)17.00: (1.85) Montpellier (3.60) Metz (4.90)17.00: (1.50) Rennes (4.20) Clermont (6.75)19.05: (2.90) Reims (3.25) Lens (2.70)22.45: (2.65) Brest (3.15) Olympique Marseille (2.80)***odds are subject to change
