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He helped Germany win the World Cup
Barcelona continues to work to develop all aspects of the first team, not only at player level, but also in vital areas that affect overall performance, especially fitness.
As part of a comprehensive restructuring process, the club announced the creation of a new department called “Performance and Improvement Department”, which aims to unify the methodology of physical work in all branches of the club and improve the integration between the technical and medical bodies.
According to Spain’s Mundo Deportivo, the new department will be headed by Julio Tos, the team’s current head of fitness, and will be replaced by Jan Benjamin Kugel, whom technical director Hansi Flick has chosen to lead the team’s physical side, taking advantage of their mutual trust after years of working together with the German Football Association.
This change was in response to Flick’s desire to make radical reforms to the fitness system after the problems the team faced last season, especially with slow recovery and recurrence of injuries.
The case of Brazilian winger Rafinha was the most prominent example of this as he suffered an injury that kept him out for longer than expected, prompting the coaching staff to rethink their preparation and recovery methods.
Kugel has more than a decade of experience in fitness, having spent 10 years at the German Football Association and was part of the technical staff under Joachim Löw, who led Germany to victory at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
He has also held similar positions at a number of prominent European clubs, including Köln, Werder Bremen, PSV Eindhoven and Benfica, in addition to stints with the Israeli national team.
Kugel is considered one of the most prominent experts in the field of sports performance, having previously worked at the German Federation’s performance and innovation department, where he focused on the development of modern training methods and injury prevention techniques. With his new assignment at Barcelona, he aims to reduce the injury rate the team suffered from last season and increase the players’ fitness in line with the high-pressing style that characterizes coach Hans Flick’s teams over the course of ninety minutes.
