Barcelona hard-fought 3-4 defeat at the hands of Inter Milan in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final felt like a proper taxing endeavor, leaving the team physically wasted before their critical El Clásico against Real Madrid in just days, according to Mundo Deportivo.
The match, which went to extra-time, no doubt pushed many players to the limits of their capabilities, and Barcelona’s coaching staff will implement a specially-designed recovery plan to make sure the club is prepared for the challenge of a massive match against a traditional adversary in El Clásico.
Barcelona had a recovery session on Thursday at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper.
The first team focused primarily on rehabilitation, and to that end, several first-team players who played large minutes in the loss at the San Siro were absent from outdoor training, instead choosing to pursue their recovery indoors with personalized treatment.
Notably, key first-team players of Wojciech Szczesny, Lamine Yamal, Ronald Araujo, Frenkie de Jong, Ferran Torres, and Andreas Christensen were unable to be sighted, which would likely be a good indicator of the full fitness plans for these players to get to El Clásico.
On the other hand, players like Gavi, Robert Lewandowski, and Alejandro Balde practiced outdoors, and they were joined by the younger members of the squad, like Noah Darvich.
Other players, like Inigo Martinez, Pedri, and Raphinha, looked like they were on their way back into full training sessions, while Gerard Martin and Pau Cubarsi were each training alone.
A collective meal ended the team event, we had no idea in advance that it would be such an advantageous way to try and build some togetherness and togetherness of purpose.
With the challenge of dealing with fatigue while still preparing for the next routine match day, the approach shown by our coaching staff shows how vital they think this match is for the team.
With El Clásico potentially defining our season, how quickly they can recover could be pivotal.
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