Chelsea boss Antonio Conte starts work at the club on Wednesday, and reports claim the squad are gearing up for a gruelling pre-season.
The former Italy boss guided the Azzurri to a quarter-final spot at Euro 2016 this summer, but was afforded a week or so off before having to report for duty at Stamford Bridge.
With a fierce reputation being built during his managerial career for getting everything out of his players, it isn’t expected to be any different in England next season.
According to The Times, the 46-year-old will be hands on with the fitness aspect of getting his squad prepared for the new campaign, and details have seemingly been leaked regarding his plans.
Sessions at the club’s training ground will include multiple distance running drills, with an eagle-eyed Conte keeping an eye on proceedings to analyse the players and ensuring that they are giving everything.
Further, a ball will only be introduced to training sessions when the players are considered tired, as he believes that it will be the perfect time to assess their skills and improve them.
Afternoon sessions will see the players run through multiple tactical sessions, with double sessions expected in the lead-up to the new season with the squad getting little time off, as noted by The Times.
While it may seem extreme to some and possibly risks burning the players out, Conte has been successful in his managerial career thus far and there is no reason to suggest why he can’t continue that run with Chelsea.
Naturally, much depends on how the players react to him and whether or not it breaks their resolve or gets the best out of them, but Conte will undoubtedly assess that and adjust things as he goes in order to ensure that the squad deliver results on the pitch.