Robben looking forward to new season

He urged his team-mates on, he called for the ball over and over again, he explained the passes and runs he was looking for to the U–19 players in his team: in short, Arjen Robben hit the ground running when he resumed training with the squad after his summer vacation. “I had a lovely holiday, almost four weeks. That was important," the Dutchman said from Bayern's Trentino training camp, “last week, I really noticed that I was totally recovered. I'm fresh and I'm looking forward to the new season."

That much is obvious to anyone watching the 28-year-old at work, although he was obliged to take it easy in his second training session. Instead of the squad session, he joined sports rehab patient Claudio Pizarro on Monday morning for a special stabilising and power-building workout. The wizard of the dribble knows his body very well, and realises that this kind of exercise is essential: “It was a good session to build up strength."