No doubt there’s some truth here but it is also a pretty arrogant take on the researchers part. Coaches are on the front lines, they know what works because they have seen the long term results. How many researchers collect data for an athletes entire career? The reality is coaches know what work, physiologists try to figure out why. Science has never driven training… it’s the coaches and athletes.
Here is a great article on the history of long distance training by Steve Magness. Reality is there isn’t really anything new… but is rather more of a cycle. Maybe we are just at the end of that 20 years and about to see something old become new again.