Spurs star Ryan Sessegnon reveals he spent the summer in Portugal with a conditioning coach to keep up with Antonio Conte’s intense Tottenham regime… and claims the Italian’s training is “physically tough” compared to other coaches.
- Ryan Sessegnon spent the summer in Portugal with a conditioning coach
- The full-back wanted to mold himself into Antonio Conte’s Spurs system
- He enjoyed a resurgence as a left-back in Conte’s Tottenham side
- Sessegnon says his former coaches were ‘more relaxed’ than the Italy coach
Ryan Sessegnon spent the summer in Portugal with a dedicated fitness coach to keep up with Antonio Conte’s intense regime at Tottenham.
The England Under-21 international, who will face Italy in today’s friendly, has been plagued by hamstring injuries since joining Spurs three years ago.
But he has had a resurgence under the Italian, attributing that to a fortnight in the Algarve with Matchroom Boxing’s Dan Lawrence, the time to strengthen his core and shape himself to fit Conte’s energy-driven system.
Ryan Sessegnon says he spent the summer leading up to the new season with a conditioning coach
The England full-back says he did it to fit into Antonio Conte’s Spurs system
“It should make my body more robust,” he said. “My body handles it a little better when I’m tired now. That was mainly why I went to build that core strength around the body. When asked if he would have booked the trip if it wasn’t for Conte, Sessegnon added: “Yes and no. Yes, because I had to do it from an injury perspective.
“But in terms of fitness, that was more down to Conte. People can see that I’ve put on a bit of muscle. I also tried to improve this explosiveness.
“The other managers I’ve had at Spurs were a little more relaxed in training. It’s physically difficult with this gaffer even if we do tactical things.
The full-back enjoyed a resurgence during the Italy manager’s tenure at Tottenham
“The longer runs, the tough distances – eight or nine kilometer runs in training three days before the games. It’s tough, but your body adapts. When you’re on the pitch, you’ll benefit from that. I feel like the whole team is stronger.”
Sessegnon was injured when Conte was appointed last November and those on the treatment table are still having to follow tactical sessions with the squad.
He described them as ‘long days’ but believes they offered valuable insight into what is required to succeed under Jose Mourinho’s replacement. This is made clear by the manager’s fitness coach, Gian Piero Ventrone, who is known for his brutal drills.
Sessegnon says Conte’s training is “physically tougher” than what he’s experienced before
“I think we weren’t really fit as a team and he made us run a lot,” said Sessegnon. “Coming back I knew I had to be ready for the levels.
“He (Ventrone) is good. Obviously he’s very good. But he’s a killer – seriously. Very intensive. With the more physical players, where he knows he can push you, he’ll be onto you.
“It’s probably the first time in my Spurs career that I know what to do with and off the ball in a situation where the formation is clear.”
The training seemed to be paying off as Sessegnon scored Spurs’ first goal in the league
