Tottenham's Irish full-back Matt Doherty has described head coach Antonio Conte’s training sessions as "mental torture" and claimed that it is the toughest pre-season he has ever undergone.
Recently photographs and videos emerged on social media which suggested the Tottenham players were struggling to cope with Conte’s training regime.
In a bid to up the fitness levels at Tottenham, Conte’s coaching staff conducted a running drill and after it was over the players were seen collapsing on the ground.
GettyWhat did Doherty say about Conte’s training session?
Doherty suggested that while the running drill seemed quite normal to the players, he admitted he has never experienced such an intense pre-season training ever.
Doherty believes Tottenham will certainly be one of the fittest teams in the upcoming edition of the Premier League when the season begins.
“Yeah, pretty normal (the running drill). Even the week before in London was along those lines so I don’t know if there will be any teams fitter than us. It’s not like anything I’ve done before. This is hard. It’s the hardest pre-season I’ve had", Doherty told The Athletic.
The 30-year-old said Conte has injected a never-say-die attitude in the team.
He said: “You get great satisfaction once the session is over. Your mind has been tortured in the middle of it but when it’s done you feel proud and you go to bed at night time thinking ‘yeah, I’ve worked hard today’.
“You’re just thinking ‘don’t quit’. Even if you crawl over the line or you have to jog or walk towards the end. It’s that determination the manager has kind of instilled in us to keep going and never quit.”
Where are Tottenham conducting their pre-season?
Tottenham are currently in South Korea as part of their pre-season tour. They have already played a friendly match against Team K-League on July 13 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.
Conte’s men won the game 6-3 with Harry Kane and Heung-min Son scoring a brace each. They next play Sevilla on July 16.