The Bayer 04 women at Wiesensee – Training camp update

DAY 3 at Wiesensee – wednesday:

It was the same early rising this morning. As on Tuesday, there was a six-kilometre run round the lake at 7 o'clock before breakfast. For the morning training session, head coach Achim Feifel worked on drills for quick counter-attacking moves. Shots on goal were also in demand – and they were delivered. Milena Nikolic produced a fine sideways scissor-kick and provided a taster of what we can hope for from the striker in the coming season. Her impressive feat can be seen on video HERE on the new Bayer 04 Women's Instagram channel. In the story on Instagram, our youngsters Chiara Bücher, Sofie Zdebel and Joyce Prabel take you through their day, show you the routes to the pitch, assess the training sessions and pan over the lunchtime buffet – take a look.

The intensity and duration of the sessions was reduced somewhat compared with Tuesday a day ahead of the friendly against TSG Hoffenheim in order to be as fit as possible for the match against the league rivals. "Hoffenheim started their preseason two weeks before us and they are playing in a Champions League qualifier next week. It will be tough test tomorrow," said Feifel. "Our opponents have the advantage of being ahead of us. But we will be able to see where we are up to after the game."

The match on Thursday kicks off at 13.00 CEST – Bayer 04 will broadcast the match live on  YouTube. HERE is access to the live stream.

Day 2 at Wiesensee – Tuesday:

After the first night at the Lindner Hotel & Sporting Club Wiesensee, there was an early start the next morning: At 7 o'clock, the coaching staff led a morning run for the Werkself Women around Wiesensee – a good six-kilometre long stretch along the water and through the countryside. A sobering run was exactly the right description for the first session – coming as it did on an empty stomach before breakfast. "With this we wanted to work on the players' basic fitness and use energy reserves in the body not usually taken up. That means the energy used comes from reserves of fat rather than food," explained fitness coach Maurice Mülder.

Mülder added: "In the first few minutes you use what was eaten the evening before. But after just 10 to 15 minutes you get to the point where the body uses reserves of fat. The changeover when the body uses other energy reserves can be really be felt when running."

After the team had fuelled up at breakfast it was off to the hotel training pitch after a short break. This session was high-intensity with the focus on sprints and challenges.

There was a change of location for the afternoon session. The team led by head coach Achim Feifel took a 10-minute trip by minibus to a school stadium in Westerburg. That is the venue for a friendly against league rivals TSG Hoffenheim on Thursday (streamed live on the Bayer 04 YouTube channel from 13.00 CEST).

While fitness was centre stage in the morning, tactics were the priority in the 4 o'clock session. Achim Feifel intervened again and again, correcting moves and giving vocal directions across the pitch. The women then had a surprise from above: A short but sharp rain shower fell on them just before the end of the session. Wet from above, they had the chance to cool off in ice barrels. It was a matter of bearing the cold for three minutes before Henrike Sahlmann, Juliane Wirtz and Co. were finished for the day.

day 1 at wiesensee – Monday:

The players plus coaching and support staff met up at the Kurtekotten Performance Centre at eight in the morning. They boarded four minibuses and headed off to Westerwald. The destination was the Lindner Hotel & Sporting Club Wiesensee.

On board were the three goalkeepers Anna Klink, Friederike Abt and Joyce Prabel plus Melissa Friedrich, Henrike Sahlmann, Caroline Siems, Juliane Wirtz, Ann-Kathrin Vinken, Lilla Turanyi, Lara Marti, Sylwia Matysik, Lisanne Gräwe, Chiara Bücher, Kristin Kögel, Sofie Zdebel, Dina Blagojevic, Clara Fröhlich, Verena Wieder, Milena Nikolic, Dora Zeller, Irina Pando and Amira Arfaoui. The injured players Jessica Wich, Nina Brüggemann and Julia Pollak stayed behind in Leverkusen to continue their individual rehab programmes in the Werkstatt at the BayArena.

There was a set event on arrival: The DFB rule training. Handball or not? What are the new rules for this season? Everybody was brought up to speed in a 45-minute long interactive lecture. After lunch and time to unpack, there was a five-minute walk from the hotel to the training ground.

After a fun warm-up session, head coach Achim Feifel upped the tempo in the first session. "In the fourth week of the preseason, we want them now work in a more focused way on developing fitness, build-up play in matches and quick counter-attacks," said the 57-year-old. "The team also has to gradually find their way in terms of tactics," added Feifel.

The main effort at the training camp will be binding his team together. That includes integrating eight new signings into the team. "The first impressions from training are good. And in the first friendly against PEC Zwolle, everybody was able to show what they can do in their own way with good input in their positions. I think our new signings will do us good with the strengths they bring and hopefully improve our play," said the coach.

There is also more to see from the training camp on the new Bayer 04 Women's Instagram channel. Have a look and subscribe to avoid missing anything.  
Images from the first training session: