Activity at the Ciudad Deportiva has been moving closer to normality this past week, with daily training sessions and more players and coaching staff members coinciding on the pitches. A Saturday workout concluded the second week back after a full lockdown, and carried on from the individual sessions that had marked the first phase of the return.

The setup has helped the players both physically and mentally, boosting their morale as they return to something approaching their normal routine. The squad have been divided into three groups of up to 10 players, in keeping with the LaLiga protocol, and being able to spend time with teammates again has provided an important step forward.

Week 2 has also seen ball work come to the fore, after an earlier focus on fitness. Positioning, movement, finishing and skills, as well as game situations, are getting the team ready for the resumption of league competition next month.

Players previously sidelined through injury, such as Maxi Gomez, have come back, and the hope now is that the entire squad will soon be able to train together, to prepare for the remaining 11 games of the 2020/21 season.