Barcelona returned to action on Saturday afternoon after a break of almost two months, but the comeback was far from ideal as they were held to a 1-1 draw by neighbours RCD Espanyol at Spotify Camp Nou.
Marcos Alonso’s goal early in the game had given the hosts the lead, but an error from the Spaniard gifted the Parakeets a penalty in the second half and Joselu made no mistake from the spot.
And, according to AS, following the result against Espanyol, manager Xavi Hernandez has decided against cancelling the training session that was scheduled for today.
Anyone who saw the ‘FC Barcelona: A New Era’ documentary would be familiar with the manager’s ‘challenges’ wherein he sets a task for the team and promises rewards like dinner, off days from training, and such.
As reported by the aforementioned report, Xavi had told his players if they secured a win against Espanyol, he would cancel the training session for today and reconvene only on Monday.
But, following the outcome of the game, which left the manager disappointed, he has decided to go ahead with the recovery session and has informed the players to be present at the club’s Ciutat Esportiva complex for training that will commence at 6 pm CET.
So, thanks to their inability to defeat Espanyol, Barcelona stars will have to appear for their training session of 2023 on New Year’s Day by 4:30 pm.
Barça will next face CF Intercity in the Copa del Rey following which they will be locking horns with Atletico Madrid at the Civitas Metropolitano in La Liga.
