Expert: Newcastle United braced for ‘relentless’ ordeal as ‘behind-close-doors’ talks begin
Newcastle United are preparing for the “relentless” second half of 2022-23 by planning behind-closed-doors friendlies for the mid-season World Cup break.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis.
Newcastle play eight times before the Premier League pauses for the World Cup in Qatar.
The league will resume on Boxing Day when the Magpies face Leicester City.
The Daily Mail reported last Thursday (30 September) that top-flight clubs have begun talks with one another about potential behind-closed-doors friendlies to keep players not jetting out to the Middle East in peak condition.
It has also been widely mooted that Eddie Howe’s side could spend some time in their owners’ homeland of Saudi Arabia during this period, just as they did during the 2022 winter break.
Dinnery explained why it is so vital that players are primed for the return of domestic football in late December.
“I think you have to treat this as you would a typical pre-season programme,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“You have to do your work on the training pitches and then keep that environment as competitive as possible.
“When we get into the second half of the season, games are going to be coming thick and fast. You have to make sure the period of adaptation and transition from training to gameplay goes smoothly ahead of that relentless period.
“You have to do everything in your power, and incorporating games behind closed doors will be a way to get players somewhere near what resembles full match fitness.”
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