Carlo Ancelotti’s second day as FC Bayern head coach brought with it an unpleasant surprise for the Italian supremo. On Monday the new boss took the reins at Germany’s most successful club and supervised his men in a first gentle training session of the new campaign under sunny skies and in hot summer weather, but just 24 hours later the temperatures had plummeted and the rain came pouring down on the Säbener Strasse facility.
The 57-year-old coach refused to be put off: after all, Ancelotti spent the two years between 2009 and 2011 working for Chelsea in west London, where the weather is certainly at least as unpredictable as in Munich and often a good deal worse. In the end, Ancelotti took charge of a 20-strong group comprising 18 outfield players and two goalkeepers late on Tuesday afternoon for the second squad workout of the preseason period.
Just like the previous day, the session opened with a variety of passing drills supervised by assistant coach Paul Clement, who turned up the volume as he handed out instructions and encouragement. The next exercises were variations of the well-known rondo drill on reduced-size playing areas, with the stars visibly upping the tempo compared to the first day. The 90-minute session concluded with a practice match in which keepers Tom Starke and Sven Ulreich had their gloves well and truly warmed by Arjen Robben, Franck Ribéry and Co.
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