Manchester City release fly-on-the-wall documentary showing their restart preparations
Manchester City have released the first of a three-part behind the scenes documentary about how the club have ramped up their restart plans as they prepare to return to the Premier League.
Football fans have been starved of any action since March due to the coronavirus suspension but City have decided to film what they have been up to at the Etihad Campus to give their supporters a glimpse.
A series of strict measures were shown off in the clip, posted on the club’s social media channels, ensuring they kept stars safe and virus free ahead of their return to the training pitch – but the most surprising was players being kept in their cars as they arrived to be tested.
Man City have released a new documentary on their plans to return to Premier League action
Club officials put up signs around the complex as they sought to ensure the safety of players
Testing stations were put up in the car park with stars forced to stay in vehicles to be checked
In the first episode of City Restart, officials are seen planning for the first team to come back after Government approval, with Mark Roberts, chief of the Etihad Campus, insisting it was vital that everyone – from players to the staff – remaining in their vehicles for their COVID-19 check.
Winger Raheem Sterling is the first to be spotted in his car as he speaks to a doctor, before midfielder Rodri is seen having his examination under a special testing marquee set up in the car park.
A club doctor is seen putting a swab in his mouth and throat, with centre-back Aymeric Laporte also spotted having his test.
Midfielder Rodri is seen having his examination as a doctor inserts a swab into his nose
Raheem Sterling also appears in the video for his COVID-19 test before a return to training
Strict measures were in place at the campus with players forced to park three spaces apart
Ahead of the squad’s official return to socially distanced training, club staff begin to bring in boxes containing player kits and boots, while other put up signs and paint arrows around the campus directing stars where to go to make sure they head straight to the pitch.
Meanwhile, housekeeping crews are assembled and shown giving every room a comprehensive clean, with workers scrubbing gym equipment and placing a sign when each location has been attended to.
Medical huts and marquees are installed around the training pitch with a sanitising team brought in to spray a powerful cleaning product around the entire facility, with everything from goalposts to the kitchen area being disinfected.
The TV crew found a way to keep distance from players by using robotic cameras on the pitch
Staff even used a PlayStation 4 controller to operate the cameras to capture the stars in action
John Stones and Sergio Aguero lead the first group of stars arriving for training, with only five allowed in at a time. Acknowledging the difficulty of filming the players while maintaining their distance, the TV crews decide to use robotic cameras, placing them on the pitch and using a PlayStation controller to operate them.
As further members of the first-team filter in, including Leroy Sane, they are forced to park three spaces apart before having their temperatures checked.
The players are then put through their paces spread out across the pitch drills as a coach wearing a mask admits the difficulties they face in getting back in the swing of things following such a long time away from football.
Leroy Sane was one of the first team stars spotted in training as he plots a return to the team
Kevin De Bruyne was also seen being put through his paces in socially distanced training
A mask-wearing Pep Guardiola oversaw the sessions but insisted he was keeping things simple
Finally, Pep Guardiola, wearing a face-mask, arrives for a distanced interview and asked if he is glad to be back in training.
‘Yes of course, especially on such a sunny day,’ he tells the media team.
‘Yeah, it’s nice to come back, of course. We don’t do anything special. The doctors, nurses, scientists, cleaners… in a special situation around the world, you have to adapt.’
The next episode is set to show how the squad fared after getting the go-ahead to start contact training.
All but out of the Premier League title race with Liverpool 25 points ahead, Man City will resume action on the first gameweek back as they take on Arsenal at home on June 17.
