Saturday 17 January 2015 13:57, UK
Bayern Munich's director of sport Matthias Sammer says his club's current players do not realise how lucky they are to be training in Dubai instead of a boot camp back home.
Speaking in the Bild newspaper, the 47-year-old acknowledged how different things are now, compared to when he was a professional - although he is pleased things have moved on.
He said: "I remember it really well. I was 18, it was winter and with Dynamo Dresden, we travelled into the middle of nowhere.
"We had four sessions a day - the first at 7.30 in the morning, a run through the woods which was obviously against the clock, then at 9.30 we had a go on the running machine.
"In the afternoon, we trained with the ball for half an hour in the deep snow, and then we went into the gym in the evening - and we did that for 12 days.
"You couldn't feel anything as you lay in bed at night. The young players just wanted to survive. It was a test of character."
Bayern are spending a little more than a week in Dubai in preparation for the second half of the season, training a maximum of two times per day and having plenty of time for physiotherapy, massage and relaxation.
"Fortunately things have changed drastically compared to before," added Sammer.
"Fortunately today people have realised there is more than just running in the woods. That's great for the game and for the players too because training in itself is enjoyable, whereas before it was horrible."
Bayern return to Germany this weekend after playing a friendly against Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.
Their first game of the second half of the Bundesliga season is at second-placed Wolfsburg on January 31.
