The 2,500 or so fans who flocked to the Säbener Strasse on Sunday morning saw only a handful of their heroes, as all the players who began Saturday's goalless draw against Frankfurt were only obliged to complete a light jog around the training ground. Otherwise, Franck Ribéry and Co. did a little stretching and reported to the professionals' quarters for physiotherapy.
"The Frankfurt match cost us a lot of energy. We kept up a very high tempo from the first minute until the last,“ Ottmar Hitzfeld told the scheduled new conference. For that reason, the Bayern coach also decided on an unscheduled change to the week's training schedule.
Two games within 45 hours
"The players are being given Monday off, so they can recharge mentally,“ Hitzfeld explained. The decision had been taken the previous evening after consulting with club chief medic Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt, the coach revealed.
The fixture calendar will be especially demanding in the days to come. Bayern meet Bolton Wanderers at home in the UEFA Cup on Thursday, before travelling to face Bundesliga champions VfB Stuttgart on Saturday just 45 hours later. Fully charged batteries can only be helpful.
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