Toti guides us through his usual post-match routines following an outing in the old gold in the latest edition of After the Final Whistle.
Back in the changing room
“The first thing I would do would be to drink some water and just sit down and chill as much as I can. I would chat to the guys and then send some messages to my family and friends. Straight after full-time, you want to try and relax as much as possible, and sometimes if the result is good, we’ll be chatting about it, but if the result is not so good, then I’ll just sit down in my place, just chill and don’t speak. Maybe after I’ve had a shower I will come out and speak to people.”
Reacting to a win or loss
“It’s a completely different atmosphere in the changing room when you win to when you lose. When you win, everybody is talking and everybody is having fun, playing music, and laughing and joking. But when you lose, it’s complete silence sometimes and not so much noise.”
Speaking to the press
“I don’t mind doing the interviews. I’ve already done a couple, after my first game here last season and after a good game, so I’m quite comfortable doing them.”
Starting recovery
“My recovery starts straight after the game with the rest in the changing room. There’s nothing specific I do, just go home after the match and chill, and try to relax as much as possible. But if you are a little bit more tired, there are other things that can help, like some NormaTec which wraps around your legs and relaxes them, and it helps your muscles a lot. But a good rest after the match is the most important thing for recovery.”
Post-match food
“I usually eat some fruit, but I don’t normally have anything too special and there’s nothing specific that I eat after every game.”
Getting over a defeat
“Of course, if the game didn’t go too well for you, you will really think about it for at least a day or two after. For me, I don’t like to lose, so it will affect me and I will be quiet and not talk to anybody in the changing room. But after one or two days, you will forget about it already and start thinking about the next one because you’re looking at how to improve. It’s not going to help you thinking about a loss too much.”
Watching the game back
“I used to watch all my games back a couple of years ago when I was younger, but now I don’t watch it when I get home. I wait until we’re in the analysis meetings and go through the clips as a group or individually to see where we can improve.”
Social media reaction
“After the game, I’m not going on social media too much. If it’s a good result, I might go on Instagram and look at it a little bit and see some of the messages, but I’m not really focused on that. I would rather listen to some music and then when I get home I would relax.”
Relaxing and recovering
“When I get home, I always try and relax and chill, even if we’ve won the game. I would watch a few things on Netflix, but it’s all about being as relaxed as I can be. I’m not going to be out partying, I don’t like that too much, I’d rather relax at home.”
Talking it through
“My first message after a game is always with my mother. She’s always speaking to me after a match and depending on the result, she asks me how it went, but she is always encouraging me. If it’s been a good game we’ll speak more about it and go through what happened, but if not, she just asks how I’m feeling and tries to pick be supportive.”
