The Zenit players found out that they would get the evening off only at breakfast. The news immediately had an impact on the team, since everybody knows that the third day of the first pre-season practices is the hardest. Starting from this day the players` muscles start reaching their regular season form. Spalletti broke the team into two groups: the first had goalkeepers, the second had field players. The goalkeepers went to work on their own special program in the Strelkovy Practice Facility at 8 in the morning, while the second group met a half-hour later at the practice facility at the hotel beach – in the same place where the first practice of the year took place.
Starting with their traditional stretching, the Zenit players then furrowed improvised running lanes between the chez lounges lying on the grass, after which they started the most difficult physical training: jumping in the sand. Interestingly enough, Zenit`s head coach fulfilled all the exercises together with the footballers.
– Let`s go, let`s go, let`s go, – Spalletti shouted out to his players in Russian. Faza, you can do it! Sasha, good work! Io, great!
Having the support of the head coach naturally helped the players a lot: it`s hard even for professional sportsmen to execute three series of running exercises first on grass, then on sand.
– Full contact, maximum height, – Alberto Bartali also spoke with the team in Russian.
The players finished the morning workout with a series of sprint exercises: the footballers climbed the sandy hill a dozen times.
