Auronzo di Cadore: The beginnings

Pre-season training is now well underway as our boys have retreated to Auronzo di Cadore for the third year in succession. The location is nothing short of mesmeric and you would be forgiven for thinking that it might be difficult to take matters seriously in such a relaxed environment. Thankfully, those worries were eased by coach Edy Reja who immediately laid down the law by promising to fine any player who was late for any event on camp fifty euro per minute.

With that punctuality in mind, it comes as no surprise to learn that training has went relatively hitch free all week. As you might expect, there have been a handful of injury worries; Firmani fractured a bone and joins Floccari on the sidelines for two to three weeks while Foggia has had muscular problems as Matuzalem and Correa also contribute with minor scares. However, putting that aside, the general condition of our side is improving as they are put through their paces every morning at 9.30 with a series of fitness exercises. Encouragingly, even the new signings of Alvaro Gonzalez and Pablo Pintos appear to be in good shape.

In the evenings, the players are required to work on the more technical aspects of their game. The focus thus far has been on possession and circulation of the ball. As for tactical developments, Reja has experimented but has tended to settle on his favoured 3-5-2. In the friendly games, many of the younger players have impressed, particularly Kozak who is frequently carving his name onto the scoreboard. However, it is early days and it is difficult to truly assess what level everyone is at. The picture should become clearer next week when Kolarov, Lichtseiner and latest signing, Mark Bresciano return from their World Cup restbite to resume their day jobs.

There are also a series of scheduled friendlies against decent opposition, the first of them being Iran on Wednesday. While the squad readies themselves for truer tests, work continues on the transfer market. Lotito was negotiating in Milan earlier in the week and one can only hazard guesses as to who he may have in mind. Eder and Carmona are persistently mentioned whilst the Boateng saga is no closer to a resolution. Kolarov remains close to Manchester City even if a deal has yet to be completed while moves for Eliseu and Makinwa have eventually been finalised.

The upcoming week shall be interesting as we all count down the days to the beginning of the new season.