The scenic and serene surroundings of Marienfeld are a million miles away from the glitz, glamour and trappings of the Premier League but that is where Quique Sanchez Flores and his Hornets side are putting in the hard yards.

After the announcement that Friday's friendly tussle with Eintracht Braunschweig had been postponed in favour of double sessions, it is clear there is still much to do on the training field ahead of the big kick off.

Flores stressed the need to work on the shape of the side still but the focus on Friday morning was fitness instead.

Indeed, sat in the picturesque gardens of Hotel Klosterpforte after a fitness and conditioning session overseen by his sports science staff, Flores said as much himself. His Watford are by no means the finished article but progress is very much being made day by day in Germany.

There were only three Dictaphones in front of the likeable Spaniard when he spoke to the assembled press but that will all change in less than a month's time when he takes his side to Everton's Goodison Park on the opening day of the Premier League season.

Pre and post-match press duties will be mandatory and every utterance will be scrutinised to the nth degree. But, in the early afternoon sun in Harsewinkel, the sartorially elegant Spaniard blended in with the holiday makers as he held court.

It will not always be like this but the relaxed nature of this press briefing summed up the nature of the whole affair - away from the field at least.

The players, split into three groups of senior pros and youngsters, began work at 10am and three 50 minute sessions took place.

Put through their paces, chiefly by head of sports science Gianni Brignardello, the players applied themselves fully to the tasks at hand. So much so that when Tommie Hoban's turn in the tension harness came, the homegrown defender broke free in comical fashion.

A little later, Gabriele Angella remained as composed as ever when he lost his footing, somehow styling it out to roll backwards and onto his feet in one smooth movement. The players roared with laughter and not for the first time.

Workaholic Ikechi Anya, unsurprisingly in the first group out, was thriving on the physical nature of the session. Indeed, the only surprise was the fact he did not ask to continue in sessions two and three.

Despite being on the fringe of things in the last year, Diego Fabbrini clearly remains a popular member of the squad among the Italian speakers and after finishing his exercises tried and failed to goad a member of the backroom staff for several minutes before finally retiring to the changing rooms.

Recent additions Valon Behrami, Allan Nyom and Jose Holebas were all involved and it was the Etienne Capoue who had been the butt of the joke when skipper Troy Deeney joked he would hold the midfielder's hand when he went to sign autographs for the fans who had made the journey.

The rangy Frenchman, clearly apprehensive about facing the 40-odd waiting fans, joked Deeney was the man they wanted to see instead of him anyway.

In jest, Deeney's retort came: "Six million pounds and however much a week? This is history."

And that is exactly what it is.

In 21 days' time Z-Cars will stir up at Goodison and the new-look Hornets will take to the field on Merseyside nine years after they did exactly the same in their last top-flight jaunt. Only this time the expectation is so much more than another humbling Premier League campaign.

The Watford Observer's trip to Germany has been kindly sponsored by DAS Heating, Bathrooms & Lighting Supplies Ltd. Visit www.dasheating.co.uk/shop/ for more information.