Matchday isn't just a bigger training session

Adrenaline, travel, kick-off time changes, a different stadium — matchday throws in variables that a normal training session doesn't have. I learned fairly early that treating it like 'training but more intense' wasn't enough preparation.

Now my matchday routine has built-in checkpoints — before I leave, once I'm at the ground, closer to kick-off — rather than one plan made hours in advance and left untouched.

Halftime is part of the plan, not a break from it

Halftime used to catch me out more than it should have — it's short, it's high-pressure, and it's easy to let it become just about tactics and forget everything else. I've since built it into my routine properly, the same way I would any other checkpoint.

After the final whistle

Recovery doesn't start the next morning — for me, it starts in the changing room. The intensity of a match affects the hours afterwards, and travel home can add another layer on top of that. Having a clear post-match routine has made recovery far more consistent than treating it as an afterthought once the adrenaline wears off.

As with everything else here, this is what's worked for me specifically, built with my medical team over several seasons — the goal is to give you a sense of what to think about, not a routine to copy exactly.