Espanyol try to recover from Daniel Jarque loss
Tuesday, August 18, 2009 @ 10:41 PM
The Catalans have stepped up training ahead of their league opener in Bilbao...
Espanyol's coaching staff are keen for their players to overcome the tragic death of captain Dani Jarque ahead of the beginning of the new season, according to AS.
Jarque died as a result of heart failure during Los Periquitos' pre-season training in Italy.
Coach Mauricio Pochettino welcomed a number of players back to full training at their training ground in San Cugat, Catalunya. David García, Moisés Hurtado and Ben Sahar all trained with the first team after missing three sessions last week due to a flu virus.
Ivan Alonso and Nico Young are both absent with similar throat infections, while veteran midfielder Ivan de la Pena continues his recuperation from injury. The 'Little Buddha' is entering his ninth season as an Espanyol player, and his 17th year as a professional.
Shunsuke Nakamura, who signed earlier this summer from Celtic, did not train.
Despite missing several days of training after last week's tragedy, the Espanyol players are said to be in good physical shape and the coaching staff have said that recovering from the loss of their captain is now top priority.
Source: Goal.com