Real Madrid have now been in Los Angeles training for their upcoming four matches in the United States for three full days, and the players are already back in their training routine. Although media access to the practices has been limited, here are some key takeaways from the first few days of training from UCLA.
Theo Hernandez spending time with his new teammates
One of the biggest talking points of this preseason tour is the addition of Theo Hernandez to the Real 26 man roster that made the 12 and a half hour flight from Madrid to LA.
Theo was introduced at the Santiago Bernabeu just a day before the team left Spain for the US, and it appears from his early interactions with his new teammates and new coaches that he is already making an impact on the training sessions and the demeanor of the team.
Alvaro Morata spoke glowingly o the recently acquired defender, calling him a “superstar” in a short interview with the team’s official YouTube.
Theo has said that he wants to learn as much as possible from world-class left back Marcelo, and it looks like he’s learning from a lot of other players as well.
Raúl set to join the preseason tour on July 21st
Real Madrid legend Raúl will be joining his former club as an assistant general manager. According to Marca, Raúl wishes to learn the ropes of how the club works, much like Zidane did, as he will get a taste of each of Real’s different departments before deciding on a full-time position.
He will join the team in the US a week from today as he makes the flight with club president Florentino Perez to watch the team compete in the ICC tournament.
It is amazing to see how much the hysteria revolving around Real’s preseason tour has grown over the last few years. Fans were out in droves, trying to get any and every signature possible as the team left the training ground yesterday.
It also shows how big the preseason tour with Raúl and president Perez flying all the way out to see the team perform.
Luka Modric returns to training skinny and in shape
It was a tough offseason for Luka Modric. But, it’s clear the Croatian midfielder has been working out and training over the summer as he returned to the preseason in great shape and skinnier than at the end of the season.
“When you win, you want to win again, more and more, and that ambition leads you to take care of yourself,” Modric said last week.
The only problem with Modric’s physique is, according to head fitness coach Antonio Pintus, is his lack of muscle. So, instead of focusing on his endurance and running fitness, Pintus will look to build up Luka’s strength before the beginning of the competitive season.
Training progressively ramping up
Friday featured the most live action play in the three days of training and the most video exposure we’ve seen thus far. In the 24 minute long video, the players took part in an 11 vs. 11 scrimmage on two small goals. Check it out.
The stand outs from the video are clearly Isco, who scores twice for the neon green team, Raphael Varane, for the black shirt team, who dictates the play at the back, and Nacho who stole the ball off Karim Benzema several times and did a good job not allowing any good chances.
The members of the neon green penny team were: Carvajal, Nacho, Manu Hernando, Marcelo; Kovacic, Modric, Isco, Achraf; Bale, Dani Gomez, Morata.
On the opposite team: Danilo, Varane, Tejero, Theo; Casemiro, Kroos, Oscar, Quezada; Franchu, Benzema, Lucas Vazquez.
💪⚽️ #RMTour
— Real Madrid C.F. (@realmadrid) July 14, 2017
¡Primer entrenamiento del día! ✅#HalaMadrid pic.twitter.com/5T6sw2VrkA
Zidane was very involved throughout the drill, changing formations and making slight adjustments as he watched the drill play out.
From what I’ve been reading, during the half hour, the practice was open to journalists, everyone was very impressed with the amount of Zidane’s involvement, and the physically taxing drill the team went through.
Next: Real Madrid loan Burgui and Aleix Febas to two Spanish clubs