FCBARCELONA.CAT

08.08.2009 11:33

Training at Candlestick Park

David Saura (special envoy)

FC Barcelona's players have enjoyed their first experience of playing in Candlestick Park as they took to the field for training on Friday evening and reported that the grass is in great condition, unlike the pitch found in Seattle.

After an intense session in the morning in the Kezar Stadium, Pep Guardiola's squad underwent a calmer routine as they took in their surroundings in the stadium where they will take on Chivas de Guadalajara. The arena was built in 1958 and is the home of the San Francisco 49ers.

The pitch is in perfect conditions for football and the team were pleased after revealing their discontent at the state of the lawn in the Qwest Fields stadium in Seattle, where the grass had been installed over an astroturf surface that made running difficult. In San Francisco the pitch had been cut very short and was being watered regularly.

Tactical work

In cold and windy conditions, the team trainer for around 90 minutes with the session including the usual warm-up exercises as well as intense tactical exercises. The squad was split into two with Guardiola insisting on the forwards applying pressure in a routine. The coach was constantly giving advice and instructions to his players about their positioning, when to move and when to pass to avoid the opposition from finding ways through the defence.

Chatting with Bojan

After that, Guardiola spent some time talking to Bojan Krkic on his own and the coach was clearly showing the young striker what was required of hi and where he should be moving as a centre forward.

Practice game

A practice game then following as the squad was divided into three teams and it was obviously the part of the session that the players enjoyed most. They were split into the following teams:

Yellow: Keita, Jonathan, Messi, Alves, Puyol and Muniesa.
Orange: Bojan, Maxwell, Fontàs, Pedro, Busquets and Gudjohnsen.
Green: Xavi, Henry, Piqué, Xavi, Henrique and Abidal.

Along with the teams, Jeffren, Touré Yaya and Víctor Sánchez played for al the sides as offensive players. The orange team won as they scored five time with Pedro netting a hat-trick and Maxwell and Sergi Busquets adding one each. The green saw Thierry Henry net twice with Xavi and Víctor Sánchez scoring once, while the yellows managed goals through Lionel Messi and Daniel Alves.