#B04inAustria – Day 3: Artistic end to the day

cooling off in the lake

Sunshine greeted the Werkself again. The heat wave is continuing in North-Rhine Westphalia and in Salzburger Land. However, Heiko Herrlich and his fellow coaches cannot be too concerned with that in the pre-season given the need to compete in three different competitions this term. So the intensity in training remained high – even though there was less focus on fitness work in training today. "We're going to give our all. There is a certain weariness but training camps are always pretty exhausting – that's the way it is in the pre-season," said Mitchell Weiser in neatly summing up the situation. Even practising tactics in temperatures of over 35 degrees can get the adrenalin flowing. It was a good job the opportunity was there to cool off in the water of the neighbouring Lake Zell. In a repeat of yesterday, the coach instructed the group to go there en masse. This time, head coach Heiko Herrlich and fitness coach Schahriar Bigdeli also ventured into the water. Moreover: After fulfilling countless autograph requests, Germany international Julian Brandt once again demonstrated his acrobatic talent...

five short in the afternoon

After the Werkself group training at the Alois Latini Stadium numbered 28 in the morning, there were five absentees at the second session of the day: Lukas Hradecky, Lars and Sven Bender, Karim Bellarabi and Charles Aránguiz stayed behind at the team hotel in Kaprun to complete individual regimes. There was no reason for the medical section to be worried: Apart from keeper Hradecky, who is only able to do light work as he recovers from the operation on his jaw, the simple reason applying to the four outfield players was ensuring they were not overstretched.

communal film night

As with last season, Herrlich and Co. ensured attention was not solely focused on football – watching films was on the agenda again. On Tuesday evening, the Werkself came together at the end of the day to watch the 'Foreman' documentary on the screen in the press room. The film is about the story of the famous American boxer George Foreman who made one of the biggest comebacks in the history of sport. The choice of film was not a surprise as the Bayer 04 head coach often stressed in the past how important mentality is in football too. 

Fans against Bayer 04 team

An old tradition was revived on Tuesday morning in Zell am See after the first session: On the pitch next to the Alois Latini Stadium there was a game between a Bayer 04 team (including fan and social affairs director Meinolf Sprink, club legend Hans-Peter Lehnoff and Lennard Coert from the sports management) and some 30 Werkself fans, with members of the ultras scene and friends who have followed the Werkself to the training camp in Salzburger Land. The match played on half the pitch lasted 45 minutes and ended in a 16-2 win for the Bayer 04 team.

Media debut for Sam Schreck

Tuesday afternoon turned out to be special for Sam Schreck: For the first time in his professional career, the 19-year-old Werkself winger gave an interview to the Rheinische Post. But the youngster was not the only player asked for a media interview on day three: His team-mates Lars and Sven Bender plus Jonathan Tah faced the press in the afternoon as is usual at training camps. 

#B04INAUSTRIA FEATuring MItchell Weiser

His father has worked for Leverkusen since 2016 in the youth section. Mitchell Weiser joined the Bayer 04 family this summer. After spells in Munich, Kaiserslautern and Berlin, it was almost a return to his hometown for the man born in Troisdorf (Rhein-Sieg district). The 24-year-old revealed he would soon be a father in an interview with Bayer 04 TV.  Beyond that, the right back was really keen to get involved with the Bayer 04 Instagram story on Tuesday. Talking of which:  Via the hashtag #B04inAustria (Instagram, Twitter, Facebook) it is possible to keep up-to-date with the Werkself in Salzburger Land round the clock. It's worth a look.