After only ten days off for the winter break, the Wolfsburg squad were back to work on Thursday, heading out to the Portuguese resort of Almancil to begin their preparations for the second half of the season.
“It’s good that the players had a bit of time to switch off,” said head coach Bruno Labbadia shortly after landing. “Now we need to get back up to speed both mentally and out on the pitch.“
“Turning the screw”
The Green-Whites, who finished the first half of the Bundesliga season in fifth place thanks to a 16-point haul from their last six games, got straight to work with the ball, completing various drills with a focus on possession.
“We’ve got an intensive nine days ahead,” said Labbadia. “It’s our final chance to get our message across to the players ahead of the upcoming matches. We’ll be working on certain things we wanted to sort out and just turning the screw on a few things we think we can tighten up on.”
The Wolves trained in pleasant 15C temperatures surrounded by natural pine trees at the brand new “CAMPUS” sports complex. “The conditions here in Portugal are excellent and the weather is meant to be good for the next few days,” said Labbadia. “We’ve really picked the right spot.”
‘Kuba’ heads home
Three players did not travel with the squad, including the injured Ignacio Camacho and Paul Seguin, who is exploring several transfer options. Jakub Blaszczykowski, meanwhile, has agreed to terminate his contract with the Wolves, heading back to his native Poland in search of a new club.
