The words changed a bit as he moved from interview to interview but there can be no mistaking one of the dominant recurring post-match themes as Craig Levein reflected on St Johnstone’s defeat to Celtic.
In his one to ones with Sky Sports, BBC Scotland, Saints TV and then in the general media conference, the Perth boss made the point that fitness had been a factor in Saints’ second half performance.
It was clever management to frame it as positive of sorts.
“I know we can get fitter – and that will help us in our quest to climb the table.”
“There was enough there today for me to take encouragement and to look at things we can improve on – fitness is definitely one of them. I feel that we tired quite considerably in the second half. That was part of the reason we weren’t quite as good in our attacking and defending capabilities as we were in the first half.”
#SaintsTV spoke to Craig Levein after our 3-1 defeat against Celtic this afternoon. #SJFC pic.twitter.com/Hbv6mgEFeZ
— St. Johnstone FC (@StJohnstone) December 3, 2023
“The other thing that I’ve got a huge degree of hope about is we noticeably tired in that second half. And we can fix that. We can put a programme in place to allow us to get our fitness levels higher.”
“I think our fitness needs to be a wee bitter – we noticeably tired in the second half. OK, Celtic were moving us about and making us work but I like to look at these things we can improve on. It gives me encouragement we can improve as a team, particularly on this fitness aspect.”
Psychological and physical
Levein is right, of course.
Yes, there has been a psychological aspect to Saints often being better in the first half of games than the second this season.
And, in the specific case of Sunday against Celtic, the visitors suddenly playing like champions again was extremely significant to how the match played out after the break, as Levein referenced.
But fitness was undoubtedly an ingredient at the weekend as well. And has been since day one.
Bad luck and injuries have played their part in this.
A full pre-season is crucial to giving a footballer a platform for the long campaign ahead.
So many players at McDiarmid Park didn’t get that.
And it’s been stop-start for some key men ever since.
Late business
The other factor that has impacted on fitness has been the number of players Saints recruited late in the last transfer window.
For that group, in the main, it’s been a case of catch-up ever since.
The number of times Steven MacLean used the phrase ‘mini pre-season’ going into an international break or free weekend as a result of Saints’ early League Cup exit was telling.
That’s probably the biggest lesson for the club – get more of the summer recruitment boxed off earlier.
It won’t help MacLean, who never really got the high tempo, all action St Johnstone on to the pitch that he had in his mind.
And for Levein, in the short-term, it’s not going to be possible to make a big difference over the next few weeks – there are seven games to be played before the winter break.
But you can expect early January to be put to very good use.
And, as Levein suggested, the subsequent uplift in second half endurance can only help a team that has now put together five largely impressive performances in a row.
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