Dwane Casey Quotes

The season is a beast within itself. It's not the quickest race; it's a marathon. In the playoffs - if you're fortunate enough to make the playoffs - that's more like a dash. You have to concentrate on one opponent. When they're done, you have to concentrate on another one.

After going through the playoffs, you definitely get a sense for how important it is to go through it at least once before you win.

Staying more controlled mentally stemmed from taking my fitness more seriously. When you're doing track work, sprints and so on, it's pretty painful, but that does make you feel better prepared and therefore mentally stronger when you're going into a match. You know, without a doubt, that you are strong enough to last.

I don't think you ever feel 100 percent throughout a season. If you ask any player, I don't think they ever feel 100 percent fresh every week.

Most of my best games were when I felt crap - I could hardly move on the morning of the World Cup semi-final in 1990 - but there's a thing called adrenaline that gets you through.

Sports psychology or mental training has been viewed as a weakness, and I think that's a pretty silly way to look at it.

The mental side of sports, it's huge. It's such a massive part of the game.

I can't wear the same outfit twice without washing it. And tennis is a grueling occupation.

There will be mental worries with the long jump before Rio, but I know I can get through it. It's just getting my confidence back. I know I have a big jump in me.

Obviously we've got a lot of science behind football these days and we've got a lot of people that can advise us on how best to look after our bodies.

The mental aspect of kicking is the difficult part. Physically, we still have to be in shape and perform on the field, but the thing that separates the ones who make it versus the ones who don't is definitely the mental side.

We have many good keepers in Germany, and that's why you can never let your form dip.

The first thought is always about making the playoffs. That's the tough part. And once you get there, only then you can allow yourself to start thinking how you are going to play in the playoffs against other teams. And a lot is left to chance then. There's an element of luck as well: sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you do not.

A fit player has good and bad times during a season, and you have that in rehab, too.

I try to be as fit as I can, eating well and sleeping well, because I know how intense it is here in the Premier League, especially when you play big games like Liverpool or Tottenham.

Injuries are psychologically so hard for an athlete because you don't get to do what you love to do.

You make mental notes. You're a coach, so you make mental notes from matchups, to who steps up in the playoffs to who doesn't, different types of players.

It is important to have down time between training and matches.

Learning how to compete is one of the most important things that an athlete can do. You can train as well as you possibly can and go compete and completely choke.

My body had given up on me at one point. And as many injuries as I've had over the years, I truly believed that my body needed to rest and not be on the grind like it's been for the last 15 years.

I just have to continue to prepare and try to be the best guy I can be every Sunday, whether that's coming off a good game or a bad game.

I'm a big believer that if you can have success in the playoffs, when it means the most and when the game is at its highest pace, it always carries into the next year and it gives a player confidence.

Rebuilding has always been one of my specialities from the time I started with young players at Cagliari.

My idea is that players need to recover first, train later.

If I play all the IPL games the whole season, I do get a bit tired towards the end.