The return of Les Olympiens

After a five-week holiday, Olympique de Marseille's players made their way back to the Robert Louis-Dreyfus Centre on Tuesday morning.

Most were well ahead of the curve for the first day of training iahead of the 2018-19 season.

Under a clear summer sky and bright sun beaming a strong heat, 20 First Team players were back running drills under Rudi Garcia's watch.

Tuesday also marked the first look at their new Puma equipment for the 2018-19 season. Talk ranged from their holiday expereiences and funny stories to the performances of their teammates - Florian Thauvin, Adil Rami, Steve Mandanda (all with France) and Hiroki Sakai (Japan) - in the 2018 FIFA Wolrd Cup in Russia. 

For the first session of the season, the group was split in half. Two physical drills were set up to get the blood flowing: cardio and stretching. They then touched the ball with juggles and small-sided games.