Huub Stevens: "The heat isn't bad" - #tsginrsa

120 pieces of luggage, a ten-hour overnight flight, a 26-man squad, coaches, backroom staff and officials. Travelling to TSG’s training camp in Rustenburg, South Africa, needed great organisation, but the team are already profiting from the perfect conditions at the Royal Marang Hotel’s sports complex.

HUUB STEVENS on...

…the accommodation and the training facilities in Rustenburg:

“The conditions here are superb. The training pitch is in a very good state. We actually had the possibility of moving to the nearby stadium, but that is not necessary. The fitness and spa facilities are professionally equipped. That is also great for the players who still can’t train with the team. Steven Zuber and Nadiem Amiri still have some problems, but I think both players will be able to start training again in the next few days. It is very warm – much like Abu Dhabi, where I’ve held training camps in the past. But that is not a bad thing. We can adapt the sessions to that and so train early in the morning and then in the evening. It’s also supposed to get cooler over the coming days, which should be more comfortable for us.”

...the points to focus on during the training camp:

“The boys are very fit, but they are still a bit short of sharpness. We want to work on that and of course there are also tactical things that we have to improve on.”

...on his impressions from the first days of training:

“The boys have done their homework, but I was expecting nothing less. They are ready and eager. I hope that we can make the progress that we have to make so that we can be successful in the second half of the season.”

ERMIN BICAKCIC:

"My first impressions of things here are that they are perfect. Everything is nearby: the training pitch, the weights room and we also have excellent ways to recuperate. The conditions for our training camp could not be better. We are looking forward to it and would like to prepare ourselves here the best we can for the second half of the season.”

THOMAS RICHTER:

“We have outstanding conditions for a successful training camp here in Rustenburg, two hours west of Johannesburg. The training pitch is on site, we have a weights room, ice baths and two good friendlies planned. The Royal Marang Hotel was the base for the England team during the 2010 World Cup and so offers excellent sporting facilities. South Africa is also good for the team because there is just one hour time difference and the weather is consistent. It’s very warm this summer, but the players can adapt to the conditions very quickly.”