Clemens Fritz was one of the last Werder pros to arrive in training camp. And since then he's been undergoing a grueling routine of catch-up.
“I m feeling very, very rested,” claimed Fritz, who headed off for a break on the island of Formentera directly after the EURO party in Berlin and then spent the final days of his holiday at home in Erfurt. There he blocked out the rest of the world and set his focus on one target: “Just to relax and not think at all about football.”
A little more work to do
On Monday, the German international returned and began with a fitness test, as did Torsten Frings and Per Mertesacker. The lack of training is noticeable compared to their teammates who began at the start of July: “It s normal that we need to put in some more work now.” Exactly how much more was clear to see by taking a brief glance at Thursday s training schedule.
“Running in the morning when the others are tucked in bed–I really curse that but there's no way around it. There is another conditioning session after lunch while most of the others are playing a friendly game.” Just like Torsten Frings, Fritz is one of a group of six players who will not play against Aris Saloniki. They will spend the afternoon going through a specialised programme with fitness coach Benjamin Kugel.
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