Barca captain Carles Puyol trained with the group towards the end of the Thursday training session, the main absentee being the manager Josep Guardiola, in hospital for treatment on a herniated disc.
Photo: Miguel Ruiz-FCB.
Next session Friday afternoon
The team will train again this Friday. The session will begin at 18.00. Following that, a member of
the coaching staff will attend a press conference.
25 players took part in the 1st team session at the Joan Gamper training ground on Thursday,
amongst them Carles Puyol, who, despite working away from the group in the first part of the
session, joined his teammates towards the end for the first time since being injured in late
January.
Thinking about Zaragoza
The session, basically recovery work after Wednesday's league match in Valencia (won
0-1
), helped the Barca players to leave that game behind and focus on the next match against
Zaragoza in the Camp Nou (Saturday at 20.00).
Tito Vilanova directed training
Josep Guardiola was the session’s main absentee as, due to the back pain
he’s been suffering with for two weeks, he was admitted to hospital in Barcelona last night,
being finally diagnosed with a
herniated disc
. Tito Vilanova, his assistant manager, was responsible for leading the session.
Jeffren, recovered from injury
Of
the 25 players present, 14 were from the first team squad and 11 from the reserves. Jeffren, from
the first team squad, worked with the group after getting the all-clear from his injury on 20th of
January. that has kept him from the pitch for almost a month and a half.
With 11 reserves
Barça B players Miño, Masip, Armando, Benja, Nolito, Ilie, Sául, Sergi Gómez (youth team),
Sergi Roberto, Planas and Victor Vázquez also took part the first team training session.
Recovery in the gym
José Manuel Pinto, Iniesta, Abidal, Adriano and Piqué, all five starters against
Valencia, did not train with the group, and did some recovery work in the gym. Victor Valdes is
still recovering from injury.