University News Last updated 21 November 2022
Players’ fitness levels and their ability to cope with the desert climate in Qatar will be a big factor in England’s World Cup performance, a sports and exercise specialist at Birmingham City University (BCU) has said.
The dry heat may well affect Gareth Southgate’s tactics and team selection, claimed Dr Matt Cole, an Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Nutrition, with a special interest in team sports.
Ahead of England’s World Cup debut today and using specialist equipment, Dr Cole has been testing athlete’s performances in rising temperatures, observing them exercise in an environmental chamber set to replicate the climate in Qatar.
Dr Cole said:
"With the tournament taking place in the middle of the domestic season, our players haven’t had much time to acclimatise either – five days instead of the usual two to three weeks. It’s this combination of factors, which will make this World Cup a particularly challenging experience.
“When we exercise our core temperature rises and our heart rate increases and redistributes blood flow to the surface of the skin to dissipate heat. Additionally, our sweat rate increases so that we can lose heat through evaporation.
“These cooling mechanisms are usually sufficient to help counter significant rises in core temperature, but they are affected by our surroundings. In an environment like Qatar that could mean a compromise in athletic performance, even for elite, international-level footballers who are super-fit.
“In this World Cup therefore, we might see less sprinting in matches, and a less high-tempo, pressing game. England’s fitness coaches will doubtless be monitoring the conditions and their effect on the players every bit as much as the manager is focusing on formations and tactics.“
Meanwhile, in a further test of elite football players’ fitness levels, Tik Tok star ZaynQF was put through a rigorous training schedule emulating that of a professional footballer during a recent visit to the University.
The 21-year-old social media influencer, who creates football-related content enjoyed by up to 1.3m followers across the globe, visited the University’s Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences campus on Friday 18 November to follow an intensive routine with Sports Coaching third year student Liam Davies.
Zayn attempted a series of fitness challenges and exercises with his results comparing favourably against – but not quite matching – the highest ever recorded levels achieved by a Premier League footballer, which were used as a benchmark.