Gabriel
Well-Known Member
Instrumental in the second goal and dovetailed nicely with de Bruyne.
Of course, it's just that I've heard so many people here call players not fit with nothing to back it up, it annoys me.There's a difference between fitness and match fitness.
You can spend weeks in the gym but still get tired in your first match after that because there's no training that replicates the strain of 90 competitive minutes.
Match fitness only comes from playing matches. It's not just physical stamina although that's definitely part of it, it's also rhythm and mental sharpness, the ability to continually respond to changing circumstances and instructions. It's why nobody ever looks at their absolute best on the first match back from any kind of significant absence.