One-bounce loser
The latest video from Everton's training camp begins with a short clip between a number of youngsters playing a little game before the session really gets underway.
Anyone who has regularly played football with their friends down the years will probably recognise what the group were doing to warm up. A game of one-bounce broke out between Lewis Warrington, Lewis Dobbin, Isaac Price and Stanley Mills in the hot sunshine, just after they had received a bit of a soaking from a sprinkler on the pitch.
The clip only lasts for a few seconds with the game actually underway, before it cuts to what you would presume is the loser receiving his punishment. Warrington and Dobbin can both be seen giving Mills a flick on the ear before the trio all walk away to start training for real.
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These little examples of team bonding could be just as crucial as the sessions themselves as part of this pre-season tour of the United States.
Continued absences
While there is still a large squad out in North America for Frank Lampard to work with, there are a number of absences that can still be spotted. A few players missed out on the game against Arsenal last week, and it doesn't seem they are back in action yet.
Unsurprisingly, one of those is Asmir Begovic, as he arrived at the M&T Bank Stadium at the weekend with a protective boot on. The manager later confirmed that the goalkeeper had twisted his ankle, but he's not expected to be sidelined long-term.
However, less has been said about the absences of both Andre Gomes and Nathan Broadhead. The pair were not involved in the squad to face Arsenal, and they didn't seem to take part in the latest training session that Everton provided clips from.
It will be interesting to see whether either are involved when the Blues take on Minnesota United on Wednesday night.
Innovative drills
The latest training video showed off a number of very interesting training drills that Everton were taking part in. Not only did they look to be built on improving the team's fitness and tactics, but also in creating a strong team morale.
One particular point of training saw the majority of the squad join hands in a large circle, with three players in the middle also hand-in-hand. Those around the outside then passed the ball to each other without breaking the connection, while those in the centre attempted to close down and win the ball as a group.
Later on, the task was made a little more difficult with those around the outside moving around in their circle while still trying to pass the ball to each other. What was clearly evident is how much the squad were enjoying the drill, with smiles and laughter prominent from nearly everyone involved.
Another exercise saw two full-sized nets placed back to back, with two teams trying to score in either goal. If a shot went wide or over the bar, they could easily pick it up and attempt to score in the net facing them instead, making for a fluid and intense game.
Confident youngsters
What was evident in particular from that latter drill is that a number of Everton's youngsters are really picking up confidence. That was certainly the case against Arsenal of course, as many got their chance to step up into the side and really show the manager what they could do against tough opposition.
Lampard set them the challenge of continuing to impress in training and that was certainly the case. The youngsters in the group all exuded confidence, maturity and desire throughout their time on camera in the latest string of clips.
The practice match at the end of the video showed a couple of players in particular showing their talents in front of goal too. Mills produced a love low drive across the goalkeeper and into the far corner at one stage, proving his attacking assets after a match as a right wing-back at the weekend.
And Price, who didn't get on the pitch against Arsenal, reminded his manager what he was capable of with a rasping long-range effort into the top corner towards the end of the video. Evertonians will have to wait and see whether he gets his opportunity against Minnesota United on Wednesday.
Marathon men
To finish off the session? Another section of hard running.
Of course, a huge part of this pre-season trip is focused on fitness, with the warm weather in the USA providing a tough environment for the players to put in some hard graft. At this stage of the summer preparations, sections of running, with short sprints and longer jogs incorporated, is natural.
What is promising for Evertonians to witness is that, even with the final running section at the end of the session, it didn't seem that any players were lagging behind in terms of their fitness. In fact, a number of stars looked in great condition even right at the end of the latest selection of clips.
Fingers crossed this will all stand the squad in good stead for the campaign ahead.
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