Inter fitness coach Antonio Pintus said Romelu Lukaku can be compared to an American football player. ‘When he starts, it’s difficult to stop him’.
Inter coach Antonio Conte stepped aside in the press conference ahead of this weekend’s match against Sampdoria and let his staff do the talking.
And the fitness coach revealed the Scudetto winners already laid down the foundation of the success in 2019-20.
Inter fitness coach Antonio Pintus said Romelu Lukaku can be compared to an American football player. ‘When he starts, it’s difficult to stop him’.
Inter coach Antonio Conte stepped aside in the press conference ahead of this weekend’s match against Sampdoria and let his staff do the talking.
And the fitness coach revealed the Scudetto winners already laid down the foundation of the success in 2019-20.
“The success was born already in the first season,” Pintus said at a press conference. “We put into practice the rhythm imposed by the coach already last term.
“We tried to use the lockdown to work at home. Every two days we gathered via zoom with the team to maintain the condition, even though we we’re all in the living room.
“Once we were back, we tried to take advantage of any time for individual work with the players.
“We thanked them, because training at 11.00pm after a game is not easy, but the lads made themselves available and believed in the work.”
The fitness coach revealed a lot of the physical preparation has remained like back in the days but pointed at the ‘specialisation’ has increased.
“The role has evolved over the years, but endurance and strength remain basic,” Pintus said. “It’s not fair to say that what we did 20 or 30 years ago should no longer be done.
“Some things are very relevant. The very high specialisation, however, has changed.
“By now we are sharing the tasks. Constantino Coratti takes care of strength, Stefano Bruno of recovery.
“Having more energy available makes it much easier to take care of the physical preparation.”
Pintus has trained many great champions during his time in football but admitted Belgian striker Lukaku stands out.
“Romelu has his physique as a peculiar characteristic,” he said. “He weighs more than 100 kilos of muscles. He has truly impressive power.
“He’s comparable to an American football player. When he starts, it’s difficult to stop him. He has also improved a lot in resistance to effort.
“Now, he’s becoming a complete athlete. All the other guys on the team have improved a lot in terms of resistance too.”