Nicolas Lombaerts: “We`re in good shape physically”

Zenit`s Belgian fullback tallied the results of Zenit`s first pre-season practice session which took place in Dubai.

I feel absolutely fine. I`m really happy that I could go home to Belgium for a couple days after our first preseason to visit my relatives there. I would say we`re in good shape physically. I think we worked very well. We also played quite a few matches, so practice wasn`t boring at all.

Of course this preseason is quite different from last year`s. And that`s totally understandable. A year ago we had a lot more time, since we were taking part in any European competitions. Now we have to keep in mind that we have to be in optimal condition already in the middle of February. I think that`s another reason why we have so many practice matches. They help us get in our working rhythm even faster.

I played a little more than the other guys in our recent friendly matches. Obviously the coaching staff wants to see all the guys play during our friendly matches. But my partners in central defense, Fernando Meira and Bruno Alves, had some health problems during the training session, so I had to play the full 90 minutes a couple of times. I don`t see any problem in that. On the contrary, you reach your peak faster that way,” — said Lombaerts in an interview with Radio Zenit.