Brobbey has been much more efficient in his performances at Sunderland. This conclusion was reached by fitness coach Patrick Woerst, who has worked closely with the striker for a long time. Brobbey recently scored a hat-trick against Man City.

After every two matches, Woerst and Brobbey meticulously analyze game footage together. Given the Premier League schedule, they sometimes connect four times a month. When Brobbey was in the Netherlands, Woerst would also travel to Rotterdam for individual training sessions.

"Brian hasn't necessarily become more agile or stronger," Woerst told ESPN. "People might see this as an improvement in physical fitness, or that he's stronger and more mature, but he's also become much more efficient in his playing style, so he gets into fewer duels."

Woerst trains Brobbey on observation and ball handling, similar to how he trains Dumfries and Gravenberch. "When he was at Ajax, after controlling the ball, he would often try to play it from a stationary position. He would stop the ball and then brace himself. This would lead to a duel because defenders would close in, and you'd end up going head-to-head. Every time, it was very tiring."

In the fitness coach's view, Brobbey now thinks more, and the striker also tries to avoid getting into duels. "He now controls the ball in motion most of the time, which allows him to dribble away from opponents and shake off defenders. Then he passes the ball and repositions himself. Or he plays a one-touch pass and continues to run forward. This means he gets into fewer ground duels and saves more energy. That's why people think he looks more agile. Of course, he can also last longer because he expends less energy."

Woerst knows that the intensity of the Premier League is much higher than that of the Netherlands. "When you leave the Eredivisie for any league abroad, the intensity will be higher. You have to adapt."

In Woerst's view, attributing Brobbey's improvement to better physical condition or greater strength is incorrect. "At Ajax, he had to contest I don't know how many ground duels. At some point, an hour later, he was already exhausted. This is no longer the case because he has fewer duels. His most important change is that he plays smarter, and this affects his energy consumption."

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