31.07.2009 10:48
The ball takes centre stage
David Saura (enviat especial)
After the first few days of the tour were more about fitness than anything else, Thursday afternoon’s session was almost entirely about the ball.
In a one-hour session, the players enjoyed the chance to start kicking balls around. It was a good
humoured session on the grounds of the UCLA.
Although they are training twice a day and had just attended a promotional event for Nike, it
was all smiles today for a training session that was very light on the fitness aspect.
Group work
The players started with the usual drills before
dividing into different groups, with the defenders in one and the midfielders and strikers in the
other. Tito Vilanova worked with the back players, and an active Pep Guardiola took charge of the
forwards, who worked on pressure and attacking.
They then divided into three groups to play games with goalkeepers on a downsized pitch. The
three teams rotated play, with the extra team resting as the other two faced off.