Pablo Fornals feels the opportunity to rest both body and mind during the international break will prove beneficial for the West Ham United squad over the upcoming busy schedule.
The Hammers not involved in international duty in the last week were granted time to enjoy a few days with their families, before returning to graft at the Rush Green training ground ahead of Saturday’s Premier League match with Burnley.
Spaniard Fornals relished his recuperation period, given the hectic early months of the 2023/24 season which have seen the Irons compete domestically and in the UEFA Europa League.
With ten matches in all competitions for West Ham between this weekend and the end of the year, the midfielder wants to be in the best possible condition ahead of a busy run of fixtures.
“For me, personally, it has been a nice international break,” Fornals told whufc.com. “A lot of the lads have had a chance to rest and recuperate a bit, and a few of the boys have been away representing their countries too. Those of us who stayed had the chance to have a couple of days off, which were really nice.
“We’ve been playing loads of games in the early part of the season, with Europe too, and that’s a real positive because it shows how well we’ve been doing. But the chance to rest was good as well.
“Now we’re in a run from now until maybe mid-January where we’re playing a lot of matches, so I think a little break was really important to making sure we are ready for that.”
A rare spell without a midweek fixture means David Moyes and his coaching staff have been able to offer an in-depth assessment of this weekend’s opponents for the squad.
Mixed in with a comprehensive training programme, Fornals believes the team are in the best shape possible to take on Vincent Kompany’s Clarets.
“It was important for us to really get training right this week,” he continued. “After the Burnley game, we will only have two or three training sessions between our matches.
“It’s a compressed schedule so having the chance to take a bit more time before a match like Burnley gives us that time to make sure each of the concepts are clear in our head. Hopefully that can lead to a very good game from us.”
It has been a difficult return to the Premier League for Burnley, with the Lancashire side at the foot of the division after 12 matches played so far.
Despite their position, Fornals is anticipating a tricky test from Burnley on Saturday.
“I know they’ve not had the best start to the season and have struggled a bit for points, but you can see what they are trying to do,” the No8 explained. “They treat the ball well and want to play good football. They have a consistent philosophy that has worked for them.
“We need to go there, implement our style and play our way. We want to come back from Turf Moor with the three points. It’s not an easy place to go. Yes, there have been some changes up there but it’s still a very difficult place to go.”
