FC Pune City get 'Serie A' treatment

FLORENCE: The FC Pune City are going through 'offshore' training camp for the Indian Super League (ISL), thanks to the franchisee's tie-up with Italian Serie 'A' club ACF Fiorentina.
The 24-player contingent which includes 10 foreign players are here for a week-long crash course at the club's campus. Fiorentina are expected to provide technical expertise and specialised personnel to the visiting team.
FC Pune City head coach Franco Colomba has got a closer look at the mix of India and foreign players for the first time. He has got down to business knowing well what lies ahead in the gruelling ISL schedule.
"I am focusing on the fitness and endurance of the players. In the ISL we play a match every third day and it is important for the players to stay fit at all times," said Colomba. "When we go back to India, we plan to play a few practice matches with the Indian clubs."
The first-team members of Fiorentina are away: some are on international duty playing friendlies or the Euro 2016 qualifiers and the rest are training in Lugano, which is on the border of Italy and Switzerland.
It means chances of FC Pune City's practice match with the first team have been ruled out. But Fiorentina's junior counterparts have been worthy replacements to give the ISL team a competitive taste.
Juri Bartoli, the team's physical trainer, said that the Indian players are robust and willing to learn. "They are strong and quite explosive. Their aerobic capacity is high and they also have good endurance," he said.
FC Pune City's foreign players include Italian winger Davide Colomba, son of coach Franco, and experienced defender Bruno Cirillo. "Coming to India is a new experience. I am looking forward to it," said Cirillo.
The 37-year-old stopper back has played for first division clubs in Italy, but always against Fiorentina. These include Reggina, Inter Milan, Lecce and AC Siena.
Cirilo said: "The Indian players have got great will power. They are on the right track but lots of work remains to be done. The defenders are strong, and yes, I am impressed. I look forward to coming to India and playing against my colleague Del Piero (Delhi ISL team)."