The physio keeping England's World Cup dream alive

Steve Kemp also worked with England's previous manager Gareth Southgate [Getty]As the England football team await their next World Cup game against Mexico, a former Wolverhampton Wanderers and England international player says their lead physiotherapist will play a crucial role in supporting the players.

>Matt Jarvis said he had known Steve Kemp "for a long time", adding "he was magnificent for me at Wolves, he kept me ticking along".

>He said when he was treated by "Kempy" the physiotherapist had "changed the environment" to ensure players could continue on the pitch.

>But he said the England job came with extra pressures and added: "You only get a short window and players are all coming from different environments, different groups, carrying different knocks."

>According to The Football Clinic, Kemp has covered more than 100 games with the England team.

>He has more than 20 years' experience in professional sports, including four years as head of medical services for Wolverhampton Wanderers, before taking up a position as elite football physiotherapist at England's training base at St George's Park in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire.

>In addition, Kemp, originally from Crewe, is a guest lecturer at Birmingham University and University College London, and has presented at international conferences about sports rehabilitation.

>England's next game at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on Monday will provide an added challenge as the pitch is 7,220ft (2,240m) above sea level.

>Dr Matthew Cook, a senior lecturer in sport and exercise science at the University of Worcester said this would have an impact on the players.

>"As you ascend in altitude, essentially the oxygen available in the air decreases," he said.

>The players' maximum power was reduced, he said, meaning their breathing and heart rates would increase and they would recover more slowly from high-intensity sprints across the pitch.

>"They might have a delayed run, or a delayed recovery run, or maybe one missed press or a tired decision that fans might notice, watching them," Cook added.

>He said the Mexican team would likely have had more time to acclimatise, and the players' congested schedule meant they would not have had enough time to fully adjust to the altitude.

>There were tactics the team coaches might consider to help the team, however, he said.

>These included pacing, being selective about when to press on, using substitutions and working to hold possession.

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