Eto'o back in training

Eto'o back in training

Frank Rijkaard has had every member of the squad present for training on Wednesday as Samuel Eto'o returned to the pitch in front of La Masia, having missed Monday's session.
The Cameroonian striker was the main focus of the morning following his declarations earlier in the week and his actions led to a meeting between him, the three club captains (Carles Puyol, Ronaldinho and Xavi) and Rijkaard on the pitch.

Along with the return of Eto'o, the players welcomed Sylvinho back after the Brazilian was given the green light to train again having recovered from a muscle injury in his calf.
Lilian Thuram was on the pitch, but he trained to the side of the squad as part of his rehabilitation programme that is set to last for another three days. During the 45 minutes that he was on the pitch, Thuram worked on physical endurance as he bids to return to playing .
Physical training

Víctor Valdés and Albert Jorquera worked hard under the watchful eye of goalkeeping coach, Juan Carlos Unzué, as the duo improved their ability to stop shots from close range.
The rest of the players enjoyed a short warm-up before undergoing a series of intense physical exercises that saw them have to follow a circuit as they raced each other in pairs to the finish line where they then took a shot at goal.

To finish, the squad practised their ability to keep possession in a small space. The coaches divided the players into two groups and demanded that the ball was moved around quickly and won back quickly by the defending team by applying pressure.
Eto'o completed his training programme by taking shots at goal with Rijkaard supplying the passes from the side.

Making up

After training had finished, Ronaldinho and Eto'o gave a public display of their friendship and reflected how all the players were feeling as they embraced on the pitch. The pair laughed and joked as they left the field as the drama of the weekend began to recede.