At the outset, it doesn’t appear that this training video from Wednesday is going to thrill you. Jogging drills for the bench players. The starters from Tuesday’s match play volleyball. But once we get into the 4X4, it starts to get interesting. For a listing of events worth observing in the video, check below the box:
*Altintop is nowhere to be seen, probably not a good sign for Sunday.
*Braafheid takes a pretty nasty spill, and though he rattles the post afterward, he never quite looks 100 percent again. If he can’t be in the squad Saturday, Van Gaal will probably have to call up an amateur defender.
*Check out Diva-Demichelis in fine form when Ottl tries to talk to him about coordinating action. Ottl just stares at him for about 15 seconds, surely thinking “what is this guy’s deal?”
*Olic seems to channel his frustration more into effort.
*A little break in the action and Müller is really excited to see someone visiting the training ground, but we never see who it is…
*The duels between Demichelis and Gomez seem a lot more physical than these things usually get in training. Neither of them is happy to be there.
*If the final sequence is how Demichelis’ is approaching things most of the time, it’s no wonder Van Gaal hasn’t used him yet. Van Gaal wants attackers; Demichelis is perfecting the art of time wasting in training. Check out the body language after the final whistle. They are so done with this guy.