This will affect the heat of the players and their hydration

LaLiga predicts for the Seville derby that the competition will resume a temperature of 23 degrees and the maximum that would be reached on the day would be 26 degrees in the other derby, that of Valencia. Temperatures more than comfortable to play football, but not all days will be as friendly as this number 28.

The body chaired by Javier Tebas himself explains that in this final stretch of the season there will be three time slots (17:00, 19:30 and 22:00), “the first one being reserved for matches that are played in the north of Spain, where the temperature in June and July is lower than in the rest of the country”. In addition, he also adds that “they may be modified depending on the weather conditions, especially in case the temperatures are very high”. The sun scares more than Messi or Benzema.

“The heat produces great sweating, which in turn produces dehydration and, as a final consequence, a significant decrease in performance“explains Dr. José González consulted by this newspaper. “It can even cause syncope due to heat”. It is necessary to avoid the hours of maximum exposure to heat, which are between 11:00 and 19:00. In order to avoid as much as possible, Dr. José González recommends ingesting 500cl of liquid in the hour before the game. “After thirty minutes of the game, rehydrate completely, at rest hydrate again and in the second half the same”that is why the cooling break already habitual in soccer, especially in international summer tournaments or preseason. These specific drinks are quickly absorbed by both water and electrolytes and seek to prevent fatigue.

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Toscana Viar, nutritionist of Athletic, explained a couple of years ago that, depending on each athlete, weather conditions and others, more than three liters of body water can be lost through sweat during a football match. Therefore, it is well known that you must hydrate before, during and after sports.

The question arises why in other sports such as cycling or tennis, accustomed to playing in the central hours of the day and looking for the hottest climates around the world, they do not fear this performance handicap as much. “The organism can get used to it, but there has to be an acclimatization period that has not occurred”, says Dr. José González. And sentence: “Coming from a pandemic in which the players have been at complete rest it is difficult, very difficult, that they perform at 100% of their possibilities”. In this sense, it is more likely that southern teams can better accept high temperatures for being used to training with heat for more months of the year, but it is clear that Jesús Navas also sweats.

Derived injuries

Perhaps what is most feared this month and little more competition that remains are injuries (hence the rule of five changes). The contractions that the muscles make in any physical effort can start to fail from dehydration and tiredness. “Mostly it's a matter of burden“he explains quickly Jaime San Juan, physiotherapist at Fisiomove. “Simply, when playing soccer you produce a stimulus in your body that generates an adaptation to your body. This adaptation is the process carried out by the muscle fibers after the stimulus, requiring nutrients and time to recover until they are able to cope with the next stimulus that we expose them to maximum performance.“. If that second stimulus occurs before the muscle recovers, there is an increased risk of injury.. That is why the express preseason that the teams have carried out in recent weeks is so important, driven to adapt the players' bodies to a level of load so high and intense that it allows them to cope with the loads that are required of them, minimizing the risk of injury.

And in these injuries also comes into play hydration, from which the body absorbs, among other things, sodium, potassium and calcium. With high temperatures it is easier for dehydration to occur and for the lack of this type of molecules mentioned above complicate or do not allow muscle contraction. “And there comes the cramps and injuries.”

A controlled diet, rest and mineral salts in hydration are the three basic pillars that, for Javier Fernández, nutritionist at the KEVAL clinic, The footballers must take care and thus avoid these dreaded injuries. “Rest assures us that the hormone produced in periods of stress, cortisol, is a little lower. Cortisol can be responsible for many of the injuries, which can occur due to both physical and mental stress. “In addition, it also affects the diet: “It is essential to load carbohydrates the day before the game and on the day of the game, closely monitoring the timing. After the game, the diet will have to reduce these carbohydrates. “” For the heat, the crucial thing is a good supply of minerals. Demineralization is one of the causes of injuries and lower physical performance, “he explains.