Video: Manager seems to question Antonio Conte’s pre-season fitness drills
Leyton Orient head coach Richie Wellens has hinted that Antonio Conte’s intense pre-season drills run the risk of an uptick in injuries for the Tottenham players over the course of the upcoming season.
When Tottenham had an opening training session in Seoul last week, the world got a glimpse of just how hard Conte and his coaching staff worked their players during pre-season.
Most of the Spurs squad were reportedly made to run 42 lengths of the pitch after training for 90 minutes in 30C heat, with the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min collapsing before picking themselves back up to continue with their runs (Daily Mail).
Conte’s drills have created quite a lot of controversy over recent days, with some pundits like Steve Nicol questioning the thought process behind pushing the players so hard (ESPN FC).
Wellens has now weighed in on the matter, insisting that there needs to be a balance to ensure the players are fit for the upcoming season while also being able to avoid injuries.
Here’s what the Leyton Orient boss told Sky Sports about Conte’s methods:
“You look at [Antonio] Conte at the minute, he’s running the Tottenham players to an extreme level.”
Leyton Orient head coach Richie Wellens on the importance of not burning the players out during pre-season. pic.twitter.com/HXjicfPxoN
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) July 18, 2022
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Even at the very top level across various sports, there is not a clear consensus on intensity, repetition and workload. Different athletes and different coaches tend to swear by their own methods.
Conte and his coaching staff are clearly on one extreme of the debate, and one cannot argue against it, given the success the Italian has had in his career.
I suspect that the main thinking behind Conte’s methods is more about mental resilience than physical fitness, with the players being made to realise that they have another gear to go to if they push through the pain barrier.
However, the proof will be in the pudding, and we will have to wait and see next season if indeed the Tottenham players suffer more muscle injuries than others.
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