In the English Premier League (EPL), Tottenham Hotspur’s head coach Antonio Conte’s unique intensive pre-season physical training was also held in Korea. Harry Kane as well as Son Heung-min, who is familiar with this climate, collapsed during the intense training in the hot and humid weather in Korea.
Tottenham held an “open training” with fans at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the afternoon of the 11th. Tottenham will play the first game of the Coupang Play Series against the K-League All-Star Team K-League at 8 p.m. on the 13th.
Tottenham held a Rondo game, passing training, and tactical training for about an hour and a half. For the last 30 minutes, physical training was conducted to repeat the sprint from the goalpost to the opposite goal post.
The players played sprints 42 times under the direction of their physical coach, and eventually Kane and Son Heung-min and other players made painful faces. Son Heung-min and others were also seen lying on the ground as if they were out of breath.
Tottenham players who arrived in Korea on the 10th had difficulty in physical training in Korea’s hot and humid weather, which they faced without adjusting to the time difference.
Football London, a British media outlet, also noted Tottenham’s physical training in Korea. “Conte’s pre-season physical training is already notorious. Since the days of Juventus (Italy), it has been called a “preseason nightmare,” he said adding, “Many players have collapsed due to the brutal training in Korea, which is hot and humid.”
“In particular, Son Heung-min and Kane collapsed, but after a while, they ran again thanks to the fans’ support. The last player to survive the nightmare training was Troy Parrot,” he said in detail.
Meanwhile, more than 6,000 fans were present at the stadium, watching over two hours of training until the end.