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Barcelona had their third training session of the week at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training facility. This training session was more or less the same as the previous sessions, which happened on Monday and Tuesday. Barcelona divided their 20 fit first-team players into two groups of 10 each.
Barcelona Training Ground Disinfection
While the Barcelona first-team players were training, the dressing room and common areas of the training facility were thoroughly disinfected. The lockers of the Barcelona players were thoroughly sprayed with a disinfectant. It was also noted that disinfectant was sprayed on the Barca players' footwear as well. There was also a lot of spraying of the common areas where the Barcelona players would normally congregate. These common areas included the restrooms, the gyms, etc.
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This disinfection is in line with La Liga health protocols/ procedure for the curbing of the spread of the COVID-19 virus. This would ensure the safety of players while they can play football.
Barcelona Training Session Details
During the training session, the Barcelona players underwent a session of rondos with Messi having a prominent role in this training exercise. The Barcelona coaches were observed to be wearing face masks and surgical gloves while players had no such protective gear while training. There was also a lot of contact between the Barcelona players throughout the rondo.
The Barcelona players also went through sprinting and agility drills to bring their physical fitness. This also would improve the players' stamina for a full game. The Barcelona keepers were also able to go through their special goalkeeping drills with a lot of emphasis on catching crosses. The keepers also go through sprinting drills to improve their agility within the penalty box. The Barcelona keepers were also involved in passing drills as well.
La Liga precautions ahead of potential restart
La Liga are planning on restarting action on the 20th of June and ending it by the 26th of July. The run-in would involve the playing of 11 game weeks for 6 weeks. This would include teams playing on Saturday-Sunday and Wednesday-Thursday basis. To prevent the players from burning out, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) have also instituted the use of five substitutions but with the caveat of it being used only three times.
This contrasts with the approach of the Premier League, who are following a 3 step protocol called Project Restart. The EPL has instituted Step 1 of this process, which is training in small groups. The Premier League have not come up with a return date as they are looking to see the success of each step.
Barcelona, at the start of the lockdown, are two points ahead of Real Madrid at the end of 27 game weeks. Barcelona, despite the turmoil behind the scenes, were able to remain on top with 58 points. They have been unconvincing thus far and have required Messi magic to bail them out of situations. Barcelona have needed to change their manager in between changing from Ernesto Valverde to Quique Setien to reboot their season. Barcelona would be looking to come out all guns blazing after football restarts to continue their stranglehold over the La Liga title.
