This season, nothing is spared at Real Madrid. After the general excitement caused by the arrival of Kylian Mbappé within a European champion squad, the time for criticism quickly arrived. And it came from all sides. It started with the public annoyance of Rodrygo, upset at falling behind the BVM (Bellingham, Viniuc, Mbappé). Then, there was the complicated adaptation of Mbappé to the number 9 position, then the spleen of Jude Bellingham and finally the mixed cohabitation between Vinicius Jr and Mbappé. All this sprinkled with injuries here and there which further complicated the life of Carlo Ancelotti.
Real seeks its culprits
On the ground, Casa Blanca still managed to resist. Second in the La Liga standings, the Merengue club is only three points behind FC Barcelona and can also come back to the level of the Blaugranas in the event of victory on Saturday in the Clasico. In the Champions League, Madrid are twelfth in the standings and, as usual, showed great character to overthrow Borussia Dortmund who were leading 2 goals to 0 (5-2). But behind the scenes, it’s definitely Dallas. And this time, it is a flagship element of the club who is singled out: Antonio Pintus, known as Sergeant.
Aged 62, the Italian, who worked for Monaco and Olympique de Marseille in particular, has built a solid reputation as an exceptional physical trainer at Real Madrid. A club with which he won 5 Champions Leagues. After his departure from the Spanish capital in 2019, once the Zidane era ended (he arrived in 2016 on the recommendation of ZZ), Pintus was recalled in 2021 to come to the aid of Carlo Ancelotti (to whom the return of his compatriot was imposed). Described as uncompromising, Pintus has always been linked for his method. Last summer, when Kylian Mbappé arrived out of shape, the media immediately cited the name of the Transalpine as a guarantee of a thunderous return for the Frenchman. But since then, things have not gone as planned according to Relevo.
The sacrosanct Pintus method called into question
The Spanish media explains that inside Real Madrid, everyone is trying to understand the reasons for a complicated start to the season. And obviously, the Pintus case is debated. Concretely, some players would have expressed doubts about their physical trainer. If they respect the Pintus method, some believe that he is not the only one to have been at the basis of the Merengues’ success. Players think that the work done at home with their personal coach is also worth highlighting, especially since several health professionals have questioned the action plan put in place at the Valdebebas training center. Finally, he is criticized for the poor physical condition of the team at the start of the season.
The recent injuries to Rodrygo (muscular injury to the right biceps femoris) and Thibaut Courtois (injury to the adductor of the left leg) would be part of the package of criticisms made against Pintus. And that’s not all. Within the club, we consider that the Italian is above all “an athlete coach”namely a trainer who would make the players “more fragile in the face of physical problems, because some of the exercises they practice are not very recommended for football”. Has Pintus really gone from being a physical trainer essential to Real Madrid’s success to being an inadequate trainer? Faced with this witch hunt launched within Real Madrid, he can always count on the unwavering support of President Florentino Pérez.
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