Tokyo training under fog and mist

Some 24 hours before their first preseason friendly against Chelsea in the Rakuten Cup, FC Barcelona went through their second training session of the day — their first on the grass — at Tokyo’s Machida Stadium, the home of local side Machida Zelvia.

Monday morning’s workout, which consisted mostly of stretching and calisthenics, was followed in the afternoon by a normal session.

All 26 players on the tour took part, while the new Barça B player Hiroki Abe, a Japanese product, worked out individually as a result of some discomfort in his right hip. Despite the forecast, there wasn’t much rain during the PM session, but the humidity was as thick as soup and a misty fog permeated the air. The grass was slick, just the way Barça like it.

Before starting the PM training session, Antoine Griezmann and Ivan Rakitic spoke to the press. Then, before taking the field, the Barça players were greeted one by one by the Deputy Mayor of Machida City, Yutaka Takahashi, and the President of Machida Zelvia, Takehisa Ohtomo.