Nacer Chadli believes the high fitness level of Tottenham’s squad will prove pivotal during a crucial few weeks for Mauricio Pochettino’s side that includes a Europa League knockout tie against Fiorentina and the Capital One Cup final.Spurs play La Viola at White Hart Lane on Thursday evening in the first leg of their European double-header, with a league match against West Ham sandwiched in between before they face Chelsea at Wembley.
They will play six matches in the next 17 days but Pochettino was unfazed at the challenge posed by Vincenzo Montella’s Fiorentina, confident that his side have adapted to the mental and physical exertions of Thursday-Sunday matches despite his admission that the coming weeks are the most significant in his managerial career.
Chadli stated that his fitness was the best it has ever been thanks to GPS tracking that the Spurs coaching staff use to assess the players, something he believes will see them through a difficult period.
“They [the coaching staff] don’t kill us but they want to make us better and better,” Chadli said. “If you want to be better you have to work; if you don’t work your fitness level goes down. They know what to do to get it up,” said Chadli. We can fully play 90 minutes with a high tempo.”
Asked if it was the fittest squad he had worked with, the Belgium international said: “Yes, for sure. You have everything. We work in the gym, we run outside and train always with intensity. If you don’t train with intensity it is totally different.
“He [Pochettino] says before we start that we have to be sharp. He wants to make everyone sharp and be well trained. We always train with GPS. They are looking at players if they get tired, they can see it on the GPS. The amount we run, they can check everything. You cannot cheat. Or you put the GPS on a cat, I’ve tried that.”
Fiorentina, whose squad includes the on-loan Manchester City defender Micah Richards, sit fourth in Serie A and are unbeaten in 11 games, in good form despite the recent sale of Juan Cuadrado to Chelsea.
“I think that it is a good challenge for us,” said Pochettino. “For me personally, but I feel good. I am prepared to enjoy these moments. I think it is good for the club, good for our supporters and for our players, too.
“This is our 42nd official game in seven months and it’s important to manage the squad and always analyse after the games each case and each player. We have a strong squad for playing in the Europa League and Premier League and the final of the Capital One Cup against Chelsea, and I am happy. There is not a special worry about that. All the squad are fit and we are in a very good way.
“I think we share the same philosophy, Tottenham and Fiorentina. Maybe we play in different ways, the system is different. Fiorentina use different systems during different games but we play 4-2-3-1. But a lot of the philosophy, yes [it is similar].”
Tottenham (4-2-3-1, probable): Lloris; Walker, Fazio, Vertonghen, Davies; Mason, Bentaleb; Chadli, Eriksen, Lamela; Kane.
Fiorentina (3-5-2, probable): Tatarusanu; Savic, Rodríguez, Basanta; Joaquin, Fernández, Pizarro, Valero, Pasqual; Salah, Gómez.
Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (Sp)
By James Riach, Guardian
