Sean Dyche accepts he is unlikely to be the favourite person in the lives of his Everton squad after they have completed their pre-season camp in the Alps.
The Blues boss said the days of just “proving a point” by putting players through gruelling regimes may no longer exist but that he still plans to make them work hard.
He acknowledged fitness was not the only target he was hoping to build into the squad while they are in France, however.
Dyche said making the players stronger was crucial but that it was even more important to ensure the workload did not put their bodies at risk of injury nor sap their energy levels before the new season has even begun.
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Everton began pre-season at Finch Farm last Thursday before a 28-man squad flew to France on Monday. They will train on the French side of the border with Switzerland before crossing over to face Swiss side Stade Nyonnais in a friendly on Friday. The trip is part of Everton’s first summer under Sean Dyche and tales of his pre-season demands have swirled ahead of the resumption of football. Dyche’s infamous ‘Gaffer’s Day’ is one event players who have previously worked with him like James Tarkowski, Michael Keane and Dwight McNeil have briefed their team mates over.
That day is a test of endurance in which the balls are kept away from the drills. Speaking to the club website from France, Dyche offered a taste of things to come as he said: “They will be working hard so I will probably not be their favourite manager for the next 10 days but ‘c’est la vie’.”
His routine will be more sophisticated than just working on a testing fitness regime, however, with balance a watchword for the trip. Dyche explained: “The days of just running around fields has all gone. There will be some element of that but it’s mainly science-based now. You can do that through football work and through running as well and it’s about finding that healthy balance. It’s always designed for the players to be stronger. Hopefully we’ll come out of it with no injuries, fully fit but also full of energy. You’ve got to get that balance because sometimes as a player and a manager I’ve seen teams be really fit but their energy is low because they’ve been run down during pre-season. That’s a challenge to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
As well as building strength, Dyche is keen to help foster a sense of togetherness now that he has the opportunity to work with the Everton squad through a pre-season. His entire regime to date has been within the furnace of pressure created by last season’s relegation battle.
He added: “It's certainly designed to get the players together, with some players returning from loan spells and to full fitness. It’s a chance for the squad to be close together for a week which is enough when you’re at close quarters for a lot of the time. We’ll have a bit of fun, as well. There will be work, obviously, but there is a lightness to it, too. You’ve always got to have a smile on your face when you’re working. There will be a nice balance and I think they’ll enjoy it.”
