Wheeeee! a.k.a. “Ain’t camraderie grand?”

By: Kevin | September 18th, 2008

So here you are, a wunderkind who can only just drive legally, and your coach takes you and your mates to the Circuit de Catalunya, one of the hallowed places in all of motorsport. This picture quite capably demonstrates the look you would have on your face, if you were one Bojan Krkic.

What the players did, rather than practicing, was hit said racing circuit for a tour of a collection of very cool cars. This was a meet-and-greet session, that included a very nifty door prize. Each player received the keys to an Audi Q7 sport-utility vehicle.

This is the third season for this go-round, so for the players, it’s probably kind of old hat. “Yeah, yeah. No practice, and a 70,000 Euro SUV. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.” But look at the faces in the pictures. These guys are having fun. I like what the looks represent in the Guardiola regime. As we all recall, there was much talk in pre-season about a new attitude, about lancing toxins from the locker room, about fitness and diet and most importantly, the kind of team togetherness that makes a bunch of players a team.

We’ve seen it in comments from Yaya about not getting as much starting time as he is accustomed to:

“We cannot play with twelve guys. Physically I’m very good but one has to accept the decions of the manager. I’m a profesional and if I don’t play, I have to try and help the team. I’m patient.”

We’ve seen it in the comments of Thierry Henry, who is bursting with new attitude and a sense of belonging to the whole:

“You win and lose a game with eleven players.”

Messi began practice with some preventive training, a nod toward his tendency to suffer muscle injuries. The players are having breakfasts together, which not only builds team unity but facilitates a consistent diet, and allows the new, young arrivals such as Pedro and Busquets to blend in with the group.

And now, the reward for all the two-a-days, the good play and all the effort: A well-earned day off after an excellent performance against Sporting Lisbon, a side who has been known to make many a team look good. They were just the tonic that we needed.

For those who want to see more of what really cool cars can do to grown men, go here.

We’ll be back with the preview/review of this weekend’s match. For now, however, a bit of fun.