The list is long and infamous yet again. It’s annual list and it’s a list that Arsenal supporters hate to see. Yes, it’s the injury list and every week there is a new addition to it. This week’s inductee is none other than Mesut Özil.
Özil’s knee for dissection (not really)
Özil reported to the national team with knee pain and an MRI determined that he had a partial lateral collateral ligament tear. In case you were wondering the lateral collateral ligament is on the outside of the knee and is a thin band of tissue that joins the femur (thighbone) to the fibula (the small bone of the lower leg). It is essentially a tendon that gives the knee stability – like other tendons do. A partial tear of that tendon is a macroscopic injury that is usually acute and may or may not require surgical repair.
So after you’ve read all that medical jargon what does it mean? It means that Özil is another long term member of the injury club with his tenure estimated at anywhere from 10-12 weeks.
The why’s of this injury and all the injuries are the big reason Shad Forsythe was brought in to Arsenal. Formerly of the German National Team, Forsythe via his company, EXOS formerly known as Athlete’s Performance was given credit for being integral to a process that eventually saw Germany win the most recent world cup.
Such was Forsythe’s influence within the German National Team set up that Joachim Löw allowed the American physio to be the last word to team as they would take the field. His arrival was heralded across social media and the press as likely the best signing of the summer. But 3 months into his tenure some quarters are asking “what in the hell is he doing.”
And frankly it’s misguided and misplaced.
The process that took Forsythe and his ways to the pinnacle of World Football was one that started in 2004 when now US National Team Coach Jürgen Klinsmann brought in Forsythe and the CEO of Athlete’s Performance, Mark Verstegen to radically change how the German National Team prepared itself. The thought process was that they wanted to bring the American Sports fitness expertise and its ability to make athletes better and stronger into the German set up.
Sure, at first reception was skeptical as players openly wondered if the way these Americans wanted to do things was, right. As Bastian Schweinsteiger put it in 2012:
“At first they showed us all kinds of methods, and we didn’t quite know whether that was the right way of doing something, but if you think about it now, it was the right thing. We’ve become physically very strong. Of course, back then we were also very good, but I think through these American fitness philosophies we’ve had some plus points there. I hope they’ll stay with us a little longer.”
The move to bring Forsythe to Arsenal actually had its genesis before the World Cup. The popular myth being bandied about was, that Arsenal were responding to the success of the German team’s ability to stay fit in the tournament. This is far from the truth as Forsythe himself said in his final interview with the DFB before moving to Arsenal:
DFB.de: How did you get in contact with Arsenal?
Shad Forsythe: In May (of this year) I flew to London and met up with Arsène Wenger. At that time, there was no job offer on the table. We first wanted to get to know each other.
This also goes to dispel the notion that Forsythe also wasn’t foisted upon an unwilling Wenger by Gazidis. Given the nature of how the football side of the clubs is run at Arsenal, Arsène is and was involved in this decision.
The answer to why Forsythe hasn’t had an impact as many thought he would is quite simple and is found in simply looking at the German team. The process of cultural change started in 2004 at the DFB. It wasn’t until about Euro 2012 that the benefits were truly seen and realized. While change had been happening and the benefits were maturing, not until 2012 did anyone begin to truly realize how influential the change had been.
Simply put cultural change in any organization is going to take time. Will it take 1 year, 5 years or 10? It depends I guess on the level of openness to change the organization has. A national team likely takes longer because the players are only available a few weeks at a time unless its during the major tournaments then they are together for a month plus. Add in the factor that the players return to their club teams and have to deal with their club fitness program and effecting change at the national level was always going to be a slow process. Conversely it might have been easier without all the rigors of club football. Still, this is a cultural shift and it will take time to settle in.
Forsythe’s approach is one cultivated over time and one that has been proven effective. It’s based on four pillars –
- Mindset – the mental side of the game
- Nutrition – using nutrition as the foundation of all the athlete does
- Movement – moving the player’s body better
- Recovery – allowing mind and body to re-energize to prepare for next day’s activities
Each one of these pillars is used in a program focused and designed to the individual. No longer is the team worked on in a group but a program of fitness is done to aid the individual in building themselves up for success. Forsythe says the the intent is to take into account bio-mechanical make up of each player to provide them with the best conditions so that the player stays healthy and by extension so too the team.
In an interview with Grant Wahl of Sport’s Illustrated, Forsythe talked about some of the work they were doing with Germany:
“On a working day, we heart-rate monitor them, and we also have GPS monitors,” said Forsythe. “So we’re looking at the amount of work they get done over time on the pitch. We have a kind of fingerprint: We do one similar drill every week so we can monitor how much work they’re getting done. If they’re getting more work done in the same amount of time, then that’s better fitness and we hope to see over the course of the tournament.
“Also on recovery, after these bouts with their heart rate, if their heart rates are dropping fast, then we know our players are getting recovered and are ready for the next match.”
Forsythe’s approach and results speak for themselves. The team in Brazil with all the travelling hardly looked unfit or worn out. His goal is to make sure all players are fit and able to play when called upon.
It’s no wonder Wenger met and eventually had him brought in. The four pillars must have seemed very familiar to the manager. Wenger when he came to Arsenal was considered revolutionary in the changes he brought to the club. Many of those changes are the centerpiece to how many club’s do business and train their players. But at some point complacency can catch up and you suddenly aren’t the forward thinker any more. But with bringing in Forsythe, Wenger may have shown that he is once again looking to change the dynamic yet again.
Given their success and the regard with which Forsythe is held in for his role in affecting that change, its safe to assume that when we look back on his signing, the early prognostications will most likely be found right – this was Arsenal’s best signing of this summer.
Contributors
