We are used to seeing Thiago Alcantara dazzle us on the pitch. For the past few weeks, however, he and all his Bayern Munich teammates have been forced to train at home or jog alone in the park rather than dash across the Allianz Arena. In an interview with Bundesliga.com, Thiago talked about what he is doing to stay fit during the coronavirus pandemic while respecting the social-distancing measures enacted to combat the spread of the disease.
For Thiago, the ability to go outside to enjoy the many parks in and around Munich has been a boon:
First of all, here in Germany, we’re allowed to go to the parks and forests to run and walk. That has been a good point for us, for the sports guys, that we can maintain our body, working and running.
He also described Bayern’s cyber-training sessions, which have been a hit online, as well. The sessions not only enable him to train but also connect with his teammates:
But also, the club made something amazing, like a video chat with all the team and the trainers. We can have really good at-home training sessions with them.
Looking at it in the sporting way, we run, we bike and then we do all the strength training, mobility, stretching — all the functional training we can do. But also, I think it’s about adapting to the situation, adapting to this strange situation with family and friends.
He described the social aspect of Bayern’s cyber-training in particular as an important way to stay connected to the team:
We’ve mostly been staying in touch with these video chats and trainings. We have five or 10 minutes before or after where we talk with each other. It’s nice to see they’re good, having a good time. But we also by call each other regularly, for sure.
Now that Bayern Munich has resumed training at Säbener Strasse — albeit in small groups that are forbidden to come into physical contact with one another — the frequency of the cyber-training sessions may drop. But Thiago has many other footballing interests to keep him preoccupied. Asked what he is doing to stay sharp, he said,
So, I’m watching old games—not just from our team, but from other teams—and making reviews from our tactics and preparing for when football comes back.
Thiago stressed that he wants to be ready when the season eventually resumes, even if the games are held in empty stadiums:
Even if we don’t play in front of a crowd, which is very important for us, even then we must be ready. I think that’s the biggest objective, to be prepared for it. For me now, I’m focused on that.
For the time being, Thiago simply would like clarity about the future — like many of us. He focused on the uncertainty of the situation rather than the stress of being home:
For me, it’s more the uncertainty than stress at the moment. You’re not stressed because you’re at home with the people you love. You’re just uncertain about when everything starts again.
We all cannot wait until Thiago and the team receive the certainty they need and are back on the pitch.