Over 40 VfL fans eagerly watched on as head coach Bruno Labbadia put his charges through their paces at the picturesque "The CAMPUS" training complex on the third day of the Wolves' stay in the Algarve. Around 20 supporters travelled with the team on Thursday, and at least 55 are expected to arrive in Portugal to cheer on their heroes as they prepare for the second half of the season. We chatted to a few of them for their first impressions of the local area.
Friedemann Morgenstern: "It's great here in Almancil and I think it will help the players recover from the first half of the season, even with all the additional training they're doing. The team are very approachable and close to the fans, which is really fantastic."
Heike Waschull: "This is the third winter training camp I've visited and I have to say I really like it. Even when we were leaving Germany, fans, players and staff all mingled together while we waited for the flight. There was no separation, we were just one big family. We're very close to everything here at the training complex and when we speak to the players they're all friendly and chat to us too."
Ulrich Meier: "I've followed VfL to training camps in Turkey, Abu Dhabi and South Africa, and I was here in Portugal three years ago too, in Lagos. I also went over to the Florida Cup with the Under-23s and I was in Spain with the first team the last couple of years. I've been travelling in winter with VfL for a number of years and I have to say that the facilities here are amazing. There's even a training hill, just like in Wolfsburg. I can understand why teams get away in winter. You can prepare much better in these temperatures than you can in the cold in Germany right now."
