Walsall Head Coach Matthew Taylor has enjoyed the first week of pre-season and is pleased with what he’s seen from the players so far.
The Saddlers returned on Monday and have been in good spirits on the training field.
Taylor gave a bit of insight in to what the players have been working on during the first week of training and has been impressed with how the squad have come back into work.
“They’ve come back in really good shape first and foremost,” he revealed.
“They’re in good spirits, training hard and it’s an adjustment for their bodies because there’s a lot more football specific movements for them on a daily basis now but they seem to be enjoying it.
"It’s obviously going to take time for us to get our ideas across but at the moment, the players are really receptive to everything, have smiles on their faces and are enjoying pre-season.
“The players are hungry to learn, the players are 100 per cent in terms of involved in what we’re building here, which has been great.
“Everyone has been early out onto the training pitch which is fantastic for us to see as coaches. There’s a lot of information for them to take on at the moment but they’re doing it well. We spend a lot of time on the grass, we’re very fortunate to have this training facility at the club, you’ve seen a lot of the new faces come in and be impressed with the set up here.
“We’re looking to bed down bed down some key principles in possession and try to give the players as much information as we can without overloading it.
“We’re fortunate that we have an area where we can do a lot of work in the classroom, in terms of analysis area and I think that’s hugely important. It’s going to be new for them, the new players that have come into the squad have integrated very well and what we now need to do is build layer upon layer of understanding of how we’re going to play next season.
“The players have been extremely receptive, desperate to learn and desperate to perform.”
Keep an eye out on our social media for more photos and videos from pre-season training.