How Russia keep on running

Guus Hiddink may be taking the applause for tactically outmanoeuvring the Netherlands in the UEFA EURO 2008™ quarter-finals but any credit must be shared with the man responsible for Russia's high fitness levels, Raymond Verheijen, as the team looks forward to a semi-final versus Spain.

'Not surprised'
The Dutch fitness coach, who also worked with Hiddink during the coach's time with the Netherlands and Korea Republic – reaching FIFA World Cup semi-finals in 1998 and 2002 – is happy to reveal that Russia's intensive pre-tournament training is paying off. "I have developed a philosophy and a working method that says, instead of developing fitness to play the game, we play the game in order to develop fitness," Verheijen told euro2008.com. "The only thing the Russia players did [in the three weeks before the finals] was play football, doing different kinds of footballing exercises. We then took the players' fitness details before the tournament started and we knew that, from a physical point of view, they had taken a giant step forward. So although we lost the first game [against Spain], we were still certain we had a good basis – and in terms of preparation, I'm not surprised we've reached the semi-finals."

Late night refuel
The fitness expert confirms that a "now less static" striker Roman Pavlyuchenko lost four kilos during that tough preparatory period, despite Hiddink's insistence on his players eating properly at all times. "Mr Hiddink is quite strict in terms of meals. One example is that after the Sweden game we left the stadium at 11.30 at night and had to travel two and a half hours from Innsbruck to [our base] in Leogang. We arrived at the hotel at 2am and [Mr Hiddink] insisted on all the players eating their carbohydrates before they went to bed, even if they weren't hungry. Normally that's difficult because everybody is completely overjoyed and celebrating a win and when you are having those emotions, having a group meal is not the first thing you think about."

Credit due
Russia came through Group D with back-to back wins against Greece and Sweden, before going on to beat the Netherlands in the quarter-finals while displaying incredible energy levels. Explaining Saturday's 3-1 extra-time triumph, Verheijen said: "The main reason we defeated Holland was the game plan Mr Hiddink developed. From the kick-off we were in control. After the plan, you then have fitness and the very good levels shown by our players were the reason they were able to execute the plan at such high intensity for 120 minutes." Dismissing claims that the victors were able to reach such a standard only because the Russian season began in March, Verheijen added: "It's a little bit disappointing people are saying that, instead of giving the players the credit they deserve. It doesn't matter when your season ends or starts. The question is, who was the last team to beat a solid Dutch side so comprehensively? I'm a Dutchman and I don't even know. We had to play last Wednesday while they had the week off!"