On their final full day in Portugal, the players again had training this morning but it was just light-exercise owing to the fact the squad have trained throughout their stay on the Algarve and will be back to full training on Monday in preparation for the arrival of Fulham next weekend. So a session of head-tennis was set up in a competition format. And a competition it was with the players' natural desire to win coming out for all to see. All crucial points were heavily disputed between the squad, much to the amusement of Mark Hughes and his team. Shaun Wright-Phillips was inches away from scoring the point of the day with a stunning bicycle kick which had his partner Anton Ferdinand in hysterics at the sheer audacity of the attempt. In the end, the winning pair of the morning's event was Djibril Cisse and Federico Macheda. While his normal somersaults weren't on show, Cisse celebrated their triumph with a dance in the centre of the pitch. But while it was a fun session for the squad, Eddie Niedzwiecki was keen to point out the benefits of it, explaining everything they were doing related to football movement, dealing with difficult passes and keeping on their toes. Prior to departure from training, Cisse took a running jump and managed to vault the makeshift netting on the head-tennis courts. Not to be out-done, Wright-Phillips sized it up before taking a run at the net to do likewise. While the rest of the squad looked on, the midfielder stunned everyone by clearing the net which was at his own head height! After a relaxing afternoon, the players were taken out for a meal by the Manager and the evening was capped off by a candle-lit cake being presented to Ferdinand, who was celebrating his 27th birthday. He stood up to make a speech and, after doing so, was predictably booed by his team-mates as he sat down! It completed another enjoyable and useful day in Portugal, and now the real challenge begins - staying in the Premier League.
