du LaLiga Tour Day 1: Training in Spain and preparing for opening match against Cadiz

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  • The very best teenage talent in the UAE have come together under the du LaLiga High Performance Centre in a mission to achieve their potential and become professional footballers.

    The starlets all have a huge chance in Marbella this month as they aim to impress La Liga scouts and earn trials at clubs while playing top-class LaLiga academies.

    Sport360° are there for the first week of the tour – check out the best of Day 1 below.

    MOVING MOUNTAINS IN MARBELLA

    Enjoying a pre-season tour on the south coast of Spain, under perfect temperatures and with world-class training facilities just 10 minutes away from the hotel – only a small portion of professional footballers spend their summers like this.

    And for a bunch of talented teenagers, many of whom 18 months ago spent most of their time kicking a football around on a street, it is an opportunity that they are intent on seizing with both hands.

    The group – separated into Under-18 and Under-16 squads – will play academies from Malaga, Sevilla, Granada, Real Betis and Cadiz, who are first up on Saturday (August 5).

    Marbella, though, is the base for the camp and European giants Bayern Munich, Southampton of the Premier League, Turkey’s Besiktas and the UAE’s very own Al-Wasl are just some of the teams who have recently made use of the city’s perfect conditions.

    At Marbella Football Centre – a short bus ride from the heart of the city – four perfectly manicured full-sized football pitches against a beautiful, mountainous backdrop are at duFC LaLiga’s disposal.

    Combine that with a state-of-the-art gym and the impressionable youngsters can’t help but be inspired.

    “The facilities are the best in Europe and many great teams practise here,” said head coach Rafael Gil. “The grass is very nice, and the weather in Marbella is normally 20 to 30 degrees celsius.

    “We have had really good preparation. Before coming to Spain the players had an off-season programme to follow, and you can see the difference between the guys who have been working and not working! But everyone is working hard here.”

    FIGHTING FIT

    Before joining duFC La Liga HPC, gym work would have been one of the furthest things from the minds of players who are most comfortable with the ball at their feet.

    But being on the ball is just one part of the regimen of a professional football player. There’s no point being the best technician on the pitch if you lack the power to compete and the stamina to keep up.

    It’s a good job then that the tour includes two LaLiga-certified strength and conditioning coaches, Marcos Fernandez and Juan Ramon Zambrana, who ensure a right balance is struck for bodies that are still growing.

    Apart from match and recovery days, both squads engage in morning and evening training sessions at the Marbella Football Centre – for roughly three-and-a-half hours in total – and alternate between pitch and gym work.

    MISSION CADIZ

    Cadiz, a two-hour trip from Marbella, are currently in La Liga 2 but have a rich tradition of producing talent of their own.

    Suso is one of the city’s best-known exports, and has risen to become one of AC Milan’s brightest stars after starting his youth career with Cadiz.

    It is a challenging first test for du LaLiga HPC – especially after only being in the country for three days – but Gil is confident they can hit the ground running.

    “I think the players can put on their best show,” Gil added. They have had a very good attitude in training and in the match I think they will be the same. The team will show its quality.

    “They have improved a lot, especially with their tactics. The team now play together as one, defend in blocks. A match they would have lost heavily last year, I think now will be much tighter.”

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