Agia Napa-bloggen: "The worst thing"
ÖSK:s mittfältsduo Nordin Gerzic och Alejandro Bedoya kommer blogga för Svartvitt under träningslägret på Cypern.
På grund av en trälig internetförbindelse som segar något otroligt så kan Svartvitt inte ta del av de fotografier som Gerzic och Bedoya har tagit nere i Agia Napa. Men när spelarna anländer hemma i Örebro igen så ska vi få ett par bilder som kommer att publiceras.
________________________________
So today was another routine day of preseason fotboll. Woke up at 7:15 AM, eat breakfast, and then it was time for the first session in the morning. During the first session the team jogged and then got into a large Quadratan game that involved playing inside the box with a few players standing outside and trying to keep possession. Once the ball was played outside the teammate from the outside had only one touch to find another teammates and switch with the guy that passed it to him. While this was going on Nordin, Sammy, Nordback, and Emra practice offensive set pieces.
Furthermore you could see the injured guys jogging or doing some ball work. As for myself, I was able to start jogging around the pitch which is good news so far. Then it was time to come together and work on some crossing and finishing. As soon as that was done the group got into a game that was about 75 meters in length. Although I was taking in the sun that was giving me a tan on my body I was a bit upset that I was not able to participate. I have to say being injured is the worst thing but hopefully it is not so bad. After, it was time for lunch and some rest.
At 2:45 we left again for the afternoon session. The starting eleven worked on some offensive set pieces while the other group played some soccer tennis and worked on some technical ball work. I and others focused on jogging around the pitch and rehabbing our injuries. I was able to jog a bit faster and even do some ball work and running with the ball in and out of cones. The guys then came together and played small sided games of 3 teams. In the last 2 minute game the 2 teams tied and therefore Sixten decided it would be fun to take it into penalties. It was fun to see some of the action from nice saves, a wonderful Zidane like chip by Mackan, and nicely placed Penalty kicks into the corners. After this training session however I could see that some guys were a bit tired. I am hoping that they get the proper rest for tomorrow’s game because I want to leave Cyprus with a win and end it on a positive note.
The rest of the night was just going to dinner, playing some ping pong, watching some of the Liverpool vs Aston Villa game, and newcomers preparing for the big initiation show for tomorrow night. This show should be very interesting and something I think everyone is looking forward to but not until we go out and fight for a solid win. Hope everyone is doing well and take care. Forza OSK.
Översättning av redaktionen:
"Idag var ännu en typisk dag på fotbollens försäsong. Jag vaknade kvart över sju och åt frukost, och sedan var det dags för förmiddagens första träningspass. Under träningspasset joggade laget och spelade sedan en utökad variant av Kvadraten där man spelade inuti boxen och försökte behålla bollen medan några spelare stod utanför. När bollen spelades ut ur boxen måste spelaren utanför boxen hitta en lagkamrat med ett tillslag och byta plats med den som passade till honom. Medan detta pågick tränade Nordin, Sammy, Nordback och Emra offensiva fasta situationer.
Spelarna med skador joggade eller gjorde bollövningar. Själv kunde jag börja jogga runt planen, vilket var goda nyheter. Sedan var det dags att samlas och träna inspel och avslut. Efter den övningen spelades match på en plan som var cirka 75 meter lång. Även om jag fick sitta i solen och skaffa mig en solbränna så var jag frustrerad över att inte kunna delta i spelet. Att vara skadad är jättejobbigt, men förhoppningsvis är skadan inte allvarlig. Sedan var det dags för lunch och lite vila.
Kvart i tre åkte vi iväg till eftermiddagspasset. Startelvan tränade offensiva fasta situationer medan de övriga spelade fotbollstennis och gjorde teknikövningar med boll. Jag och några till fokuserade på att jogga runt planen och vårda våra skador. Nu kunde jag jogga lite snabbare och även göra bollövningar och springa med boll mellan konerna. Sedan samlades laget och spelade tvåmål med tre lag. I den sista tvåminutersmatchen blev det oavgjort, och därför tyckte Sixten att det vore kul att avgöra med straffsparkar. Det var kul att få se snygga räddningar, en underbar Zidane-chip av Mackan och snyggt placerade straffar i burgaveln. Efter det här träningspasset kunde jag se att en del av spelarna var rätt trötta. Jag hoppas att de hinner vila ut ordentligt inför matchen imorgon, för jag vill att Cypernvistelsen ska avslutas på ett positivt sätt med en vinst.
Resten av kvällen ägnades åt middag, pingis och att se en del av matchen Liverpool – Aston Villa, medan nykomlingarna förberedde sig för den stora initiationsceremonin imorgon kväll. Den blir säkert intressant och jag tror att alla ser fram emot den, men först ska vi gå ut och kämpa för en klar seger. Jag hoppas att alla mår bra. Forza ÖSK."
________________________________
Saturday morning was a tough one to get up for. This morning we all had to wake up a bit earlier. I woke up at exactly 6:30 and felt really tired. I also felt a lot of pain in my ankle and it could have been from being so stiff but it was really bothering me in the morning. The rest of the younger guys woke up at around 6:45 in the morning to practice the mission that the older players imposed on us. This mission involved all the newcomers to separate into two groups and take part in a synchronized swimming dance routine in the hotel pool. My group consisted of John, Per, Mackan, Almeback, and myself. Our routine involved me acting as a flower in the middle of a garden with the rest acting as swans moving around the pool. At the end they picked me up in threw me in the pool with me acting as a flower blossoming. I do have to say that at this time in the morning the water was freezing cold. After that it was time for breakfast and then our morning session.
In the morning the players that had significant playing time jogged around the pitch and played Quadraten while the others did some technical ball work and then played small sided games. As for myself, I just walked around the field to get some blood flowing in my legs and try to get rid of the pain. Now it was time for lunch and to rest a little bit back at the hotel. While others rested Roni, Oskar, Mackan, Nordin, and I headed over to a room outside by the pool to play some ping pong. I have to say I am quite good but Roni had luck on his side today as he beat me every time with come from behind wins in which I had match point on him. I was really disappointed but he is also quite good and I am looking forward to having a nice ping pong tournament tomorrow. As for the rest, Oskar and Mackan were never able to get a win on me. After ping pong I had to do some health and physical test conducted by the trainers and all went well and I am happy to say that other than my ankle everything seems to be in great shape.
Then it was time to leave for the second training session. Once again my part of training involved just walking around the pitch a few times and by this point the pain has lessened and I can walk a lot more normal. The starting eleven worked on offensive set pieces while the rest did some technical work and a different version of the Quadraten. After going over the set pieces for a while and finally getting them as perfect as possible the team came together and worked on some passing drills that involved offensive plays that led to a cross and someone getting at the end of the ball and putting it in the back of the net. The funniest scoring chance came when the ball was crossed and Kim, being the monster header, headed the ball as hard as a shot and hit Rosen in the head and practically almost knocked him out.
The rest of the day and night was just dinner and then a few meetings. In one of the meetings it was concluded that our three choices for captains would be Nordback, Khilen, and Anttonen. This was determined by a team vote done earlier in the week. We are all very excited and optimistic about the season and know that these are the guys that will lead us well and get us focused for every match. I am looking forward to a great exciting season. Goodnight and Forza OSK.
Ps. How about Manchester United losing and Tottenham beating Chelsea. Great games to watch today and the EPL just got a lot more interesting.
På förekommen anledning och efter önskemål översätter vi nu Alejandros blogginlägg.
Fri övversättning av redaktionen:
Det var segt att gå upp denna lördagsmorgon. Imorse fick vi alla gå upp lite tidigare. Jag vaknade exakt halv sju och kände mig rätt trött. Jag hade också väldigt ont i vristen, kanske därför att den var så stel, men jag kände av den rejält på morgonen. Resten av oss yngre vaknade omkring kvart i sju för att utföra den övning som de äldre spelarna hade ålagt oss. Övningen gick ut på att alla nykomlingar delade upp sig i två grupper och utförde synkroniserat konstsim i hotellets pool. I min grupp ingick John, Per, Mackan, Almebäck och jag själv. I en övning skulle jag föreställa blomman mitt i en trädgård medan de andra agerade svanar som simmade runt i poolen. Övningen avslutades med att de slängde mig i poolen medan jag agerade utslagen blomma. Jag måste nämna att vattnet var svinkallt så här tidigt på morgonen. Sedan var det dags för frukost och förmiddagsträning.
På förmiddagen ägnade sig spelarna som hade haft mycket speltid åt att jogga runt planen och spela Kvadraten, medan de andra ägnade sig åt tekniska bollövningar och att spela tvåmål. Själv gick jag runt planen för att få igång blodcirkulationen i benen och bli kvitt värken. Sedan var det dags för lunch och en stunds vila på hotellet. Medan de andra vilade gick Roni, Oskar, Mackan, Nordin och jag bort till en lokal nära poolen för att spela pingis. Jag vill nog påstå att jag är rätt bra på pingis, men Roni hade turen med sig idag och slog mig varje gång med upphämtningar fast jag hade matchbollar. Jag var väldigt besviken, men han är också riktigt bra och jag ser fram emot den pingisturnering vi ska ha imorgon. Vad beträffar de övriga så lyckades Oskar och Mackan aldrig slå mig. Efter pingisen genomgick jag några fysiska tester med tränarna. Resultatet var bra, och lyckligtvis verkar jag vara i utmärkt trim frånsett vristen.
Sedan var det dags att åka iväg till det andra träningspasset. Också denna gång fick jag inskränka mig till att gå runt planen några varv, men nu hade värken avtagit och jag kunde nu gå betydligt mer normalt. Startelvan tränade offensiva fasta situationer medan de övriga gjorde teknikövningar och en annorlunda variant av Kvadraten. Efter att ha övat fasta situationer ett tag tills de fungerade så perfekt som möjligt, samlades laget och gjorde passningsövningar med uppspel som ledde till långa inspel där en spelare mötte och satte bollen i nät. Den lustigaste målchansen kom när Kim, som ju verkligen kan nicka hårt, mötte bollen och satte en stenhård nick i huvudet på Rosen som nästan blev knockad.
Resten av dagen och kvällen tillbringades med middag och några möten. Vid ett möte beslutades att våra tre lagkaptener ska bli Nordback, Kihlen och Anttonen. Detta beslutades efter en omröstning som skedde tidigare i veckan. Vi känner alla stor entusiasm och optimism inför säsongen, och vi vet att de här killarna kommer att leda oss väl och få oss fokuserade inför varje match. Jag ser fram emot en härlig, spännande säsong. God natt, och Forza ÖSK.
PS. Vad sägs om Manchester Uniteds förlust och att Tottenham slog Chelsea? Kul matcher att se idag, och engelska Premier League blev plötsligt mycket mer intressant."
________________________________
I am sorry for you fans who did not get a chance to read a blog yesterday but it was my fellow teammate Nordin who fell asleep while watching a movie. So I will now summarize quickly about yesterdays day and then mostly focus on today’s triumphant day. Yesterday was the day before we played Hammarby so it was a bit lighter. We only had one training session in which we went over defensive set pieces, played an 11 v 11 game in which we would focus on the defensive part of the game and how to set up high and low pressures. After stopping the game a few times to make sure we were in good positions and learning the different tactics to the defensive part of our game, Sixten let us play for about 10 minutes. It was then that we all gathered up with Urban, the trainer to do some speed work. A little bit hesitant to do it again because of what we went through the day before we went over to the corner where there were a bunch of cones set up. As it turned out, this time was surely speed work and he made it fun with competing for who crossed the line first all the time. From running short distances, to jumping over balls, reacting to a cone being dropped from his hand, and starting to sprint from the sound of the whistle everything was done under great concentration but also fun as it was interesting to see who would win the battle between the pairs. This then ended our morning training session and we were lucky enough to have the rest of the day off to ourselves and rest.
Throughout the whole afternoon players spent their time either visiting the city of Lanarca, lounging around the hotel and watching the game between BP and Orgryte. Just about everyone loaded up the bus and headed to watch the game which ended up being a nightmare for some of us. It was the first time that clouds were really hovering the training ground and just shortly after the game started it started to rain and the wind picked up. Some of us were in sandals and not even wearing jackets and by halftime most of us were soaking wet and so cold that the team decided to get a group together and head back to the hotel. However, I still wanted to watch the game because there would not be much to do back at the hotel so I stayed behind with John Alvbage and the rest of the staff. It was a bad idea by me because not much happened in the game and I was shivering in my clothes. We then made our way back to the hotel at the game’s end and waited for lunch with the day ending with a team meeting.
Now it is time to talk about a good and happy day. It was time to prepare ourselves to play Hammarby and for me to have another shot against one of my best friends Charlie Davies. We got up at the same time we have been getting up everyday, at 7:15. We then left for a morning session in which the staring eleven went over defensive set pieces and free kicks, and the rest played Quadraten (not sure if this is spelt right). After a discussion that seemed to last over an hour the starting eleven also participated in Quadraten and then peeled off to work on different things on their own. Then it was time for lunch and to take some time to rest before the match. At 2:15 the bus left for the pitch with the team focused on getting a win.
I could see in my teammates that they wanted a sort of revenge because we did not deserve to lose the first match. I want to say that the match started exactly at 3 but the referees here just decide to show up running onto the field straight from their car that they have just parked in the lot coming from their homes. I have to say it was a great win indeed and one that was really satisfying not because of our 2 goals but because of the 0 next to Hammarby. We had been working on the defensive side of the ball all week and it was something that we emphasized for this game so it was really rewarding. Unfortunately for me, I came off with about 20 minutes left in the second half due to an ankle injury. It happened when I went out and blocked a cross into the box. The player kicked the ball for a low cross and I blocked with my foot. My heel was planted on the ground with my toe up and the hard cross turned my foot towards the outside possibly causing a minor sprain. I tried to walk it off for about 5 minutes but the pain just got worse and it got to the point where I just thought to myself that I should just ask for a sub and prevent it from getting worse so that I could be in good health when the real season starts.
All in all, it was a good match from our standpoint and there were a lot of positives to come out of the match but also many things like always that could be improved.
Furthermore, it was not the end of the day for me at all. As part of the initiation of a new player on the team, I was called upon to take part in a mission. This includes the older players talking about what they are going to have the younger players do that would be funny but embarrassing for them. So for me it was to get up on stage in the middle of the hotel lounge while all the hotel guests and team is sitting there and tell a bunch of jokes. Personally, this type of stuff gives me butterflies but I was able to get up there and tell my jokes to a diverse group of audience. While Nordin and Roni took pictures and recorded me on video, I got the nerves to tell jokes that ended up lasting about 9 minutes when all I had to do was 3 minutes, but I think the people liked them, well the ones that understood English. The act finally came to an end and we all headed back to the rooms. I am a bit upset about my injury and hope that I can come back as soon as possible. For now, the team will continue to work hard here in Cyprus and hopefully we can end the trip with another win and a lot more confidence and team coherence. Goodnight for today and hope all is well. Forza OSK.
________________________________
After a long and tiring day yesterday it was time to get our bodies going again. We had a 7AM wake up call and I don’t think I was the only one who felt tired and wanted to sleep a bit more. However, the day was upon us and we went to breakfast at 7:30. After breakfast it was time to load up the bus and head to the training ground. It is good to finally be here in Cyprus and to be playing on the natural grass. From the first few sessions through today it is apparent that the ball bounces very different and you have to always be ready to have a good touch. I am glad to be playing on it since I myself haven’t played on any grass field since I left the states. However, some parts of the pitch are really nice while others I felt like I was playing on concrete the ground was so hard but overall it is very nice to play on natural grass. We had a different pitch to train on and it could not have been a better day outside.
From the field, the sun was shining bright and not a single cloud was in the sky as well as a great view towards the sea. During the morning session we worked on some passing, short and long balls, and went over tactics, strategies, and the way we would like to play against our opponents. It was a great session under the sun and one that I was happy to take a part in since it reminded me of being home haha.
Then it was time to head back to the hotel to have lunch and rest until the second session. My teammates keep messing with me because they say that I am looking like a tourist. I walk around with a backpack which has my computer that I use to talk to my girlfriend, family, and to check emails as well as having a camera in my pocket that I use frequently to take pictures of pretty much everything.
Now it was time to get ready for the second session. Although it seemed like there was a storm coming, Mother Nature changed its mind and we were off to another warm practice. We left the hotel at 2:45 and arrived at another pitch. There are many grounds all located in close proximity. We always either passed by another team training or are on the field next to them. This time this session seemed a bit heavier. It started out with going over corner kicks and how we would defend them. Then we had Urban take us into a speed workout. Instead, I think many thought it was more of a conditioning and fitness test. We had to run about 20 meters in 3 seconds then back in 3 seconds then run 40 meters in 6 seconds then rest. We did 16 sets of these. After, it was time for small sided games with 3 teams. It was a good training session.
After getting back to the hotel we had 2 hours until dinner. I went to a nearby store with Nordin, Roni, Hassan and Sammy to get some snacks and drinks. We then went to watch an intense tennis match between Urban and Lennart against Martin and Anders. It was very fun to watch with the winning team being Urban and Lennart and Urban showing some fine skills. However, I think I could take them on with me reminiscing on the times when I used to be pretty good at tennis. But I am glad I stuck to fotboll. Then it was off to dinner and team meetings. Now it is time for me to go to bed and get as much rest for another training day (not the movie). Hope everyone is doing well and I will try to get a good tan for all you OSK fans. Forza and have a goodnight.
________________________________
Vi hade en jobbig resa ner hit till Cypern. Redan klockan 02:30 började avfärden från Örebro. Angående flygresan måste vi nämna att det var ett jättetrångt flygplan, vi har nog aldrig suttit i ett så trångt flygplan tidigare.
Dagens träningspass går under kategorin "lätt". Det började med en lång uppvärmning med Urban, sen blev det teknik med Rille och sen lite tvåmålsspel. Man märkte att alla var trötta och inte fått tillräckligt med sömn, men det ska vi få i natt och det ska bli skönt. Efter träningen åt vi middag innan vi avslutade dagen med ett teoripass.
Vi har mötts av bra väder här nere, och det är skönt att spela fotboll på "vanligt" gräs och även kul att få slipa på fasta situationer. Gräset var dock aningen högt, men det är nog vi spelare som är lite bortskämda med vårt underbara konstgräs hemma på Behrn Arena.
