Following the compulsory performance diagnostics the day before, the BVB players completed the first team training session of the new season on Thursday morning.
Edin Terzic welcomed his team to the training pitch at 11:00 CET on the dot with the words “Finally it’s getting under way again!” The BVB coach put 18 outfield players and two goalkeepers through an approximately 50-minute opening session at the Hohenbuschei training premises.
First-team players Mats Hummels, Marco Reus, Thorgan Hazard, Niklas Süle, Thomas Meunier, Soumaila Coulibaly, Alexander Meyer, Marcel Lotka and new signing Felix Nmecha were on the pitch. With numerous internationals plus Sebastian Haller, who is on an extended holiday, only returning to training in mid-July, 10 U23 players and Julian Rijkhoff from the U19s made up the training numbers.
After an intensive warm-up and athletics programme, athletics coach Shad Forsythe handed the group over to assistant coach Armin Reutershahn, who oversaw various passing and coordination exercises with the ball in groups of three.
After half an hour, the outfield players moved on to an intensive game scenario in a confined space. The first team training session of the new season ended after around 50 minutes. An additional session will follow in the afternoon.