FCBARCELONA.CAT

16.04.2008 16:25

A change of venue

Jordi Clos

FC Barcelona moved their training session to El Montayà on Wednesday and it proved to be a popular move with supporters in the area.

The team travelled out to the venue instead of training on the pitch in front of La Masia and enjoyed training together and then some lunch in order to reinforce the superb team spirit within the camp ahead of an intense week of games. After a demanding session, the players had some food together as the subject of playing Espanyol on Saturday and then Manchester United in midweek came up.

High expectations

One of the lasting images from the training session in Osona was the amount of excitement the squad's arrival generated. In the short journey from the bus to the pitches every player was asked to sign autographs and have their photo taken by the crowd of fans.

Once on the pitch, the players were cheered on by the supporters with Lionel Messi and Bojan Krkic being singled out for praise in particular. The fans celebrated the goals in the practice game almost as it they were in an official encounter.

Henry, Iniesta, Márquez and Oleguer arrive for lunch

After a two-hour session, the team went across to the farmhouse next to the pitch and were joined by Thierry Henry, Rafa Márquez, Andrés Iniesta, who had all been working at Camp Nou, and Oleguer for a barbecue.