Former Inter and Fiorentina midfielder Borja Valero can still remember the incredible intensity of his first ever training session under former Nerazzurri coach Antonio Conte.
Speaking to Italian broadcaster DAZN, via FCInter1908, the Spaniard looked back on the first time that he worked with Conte when the coach took over in the summer of 2019, and the exhaustion that he felt at how much work the players were made to do.
Current Tottenham Hotspur and former Inter, Juventus, Italy, and Chelsea coach Conte has always been someone with a reputation for demanding the absolute maximum from his players in terms of workrate and intensity.
The coach drew praise for the athleticism and stamina that the Nerazzurri players showed during his two seasons in charge, including on the way to winning the Serie A title in the 2020-21 season.
However, as Valero revealed, this intensely physical style of play was not something that came easy.
“Ranocchia had warned us about his training,” Valero looked back, “but we didn’t believe him.”
“We ran together with Ranocchia, at one point he disappeared from sight,” the former midfielder noted.
“I caught up with him after two or three laps, then I collapsed as well.”
“For him, all the players were treated the same.”
“To me, this was one of the most brilliant qualities that Conte has always had,” Valero noted.
