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Paul Warne in Derby County pre-season vow as Rams set for Spain
Paul Warne has given an indication as to what his Derby County players face when they return back for pre-season and vowed he is not out to “break” them.
The squad is expected to return in the last week of June when they will begin the build-up for the new campaign which kicks off in August.
The players have already been given their homework while they have been away in a bid to maintain a good base of fitness.
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But Derby head coach Warne is relishing the chance of getting his squad back together and believes pre-season is about honing mental strength as it is physical.
“Most of the players have been pestered by me for most of the break anyway,” he told Rams TV.
“There’s a physicality to pre-season, there is at every football club, and we’re no different.
“It’s a psychology more than a physicality for me. I’m not here to break players but I am here to push boundaries and to try and get more out of the team.
“We’re trying to make them physically resilient for a 10-month season but a lot of that comes from mentality. For example, the last-minute goal at Port Vale in January wasn’t because we were physically fitter than them but we were maybe just mentally stronger at that time. You need a group of mentally fierce competitors who are prepared to do anything to win.”
As part of Derby’s pre-season plan, the squad will jet out to Spain for a week on July 9, during which time they will face Salford City in a friendly.
He feels it is a good time for the squad to work on all aspects of the team from physical work to tactics and it is where the majority of his preparation will take place.
“When we go abroad for pre-season camp, most of the work gets done there. It’s not about trying to break people, it’s trying to build people,” he said.
“Pre-season is a good time to build physical and mental and tactical and that’s what I like. I love pre-season camp because the lads can’t go anywhere and they don’t have to rush home to pick their kids up from school or go and sit on the PlayStation. We have them!
“We train them first thing, we run, we work hard, we have meetings and we have fun. We have loads of things that I thoroughly love.
“From that, hopefully, you can build a squad and a team that is exciting to watch. I love this time of year. It’s the best time of year to be a manager.”
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