Jupp Heynckes gave his men the day off on Thursday, but the stars reported back as normal on Friday for the first training session at the Säbener Strasse in 2013. The challenge facing Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Co was acclimatising to light snowfall and temperatures some 25 degrees Celsius lower than in Qatar, as the players traded shorts and training bibs for tracksuits and bobble hats.
Following a vigorous and necessary warm-up, the session was dominated by work on the ball, with passing and positioning exercises, short-sided games, and a full-scale practice match on a full-sized pitch. The entire squad took part, with the sole exception of long-term absentee Holger Badstuber, and Jérôme Boateng (knee), who completed a session of light exercise on an adjacent pitch. And for the record, the first goal of the new year at the Säbener Strasse was scored by Arjen Robben.
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