Pol Lorente, Javier Aguirre’s trusted fitness mind shaping Valencia’s physical reset | OneFootball

Javier Aguirre’s arrival at Valencia brings more than a new coach. Key is Pol Lorente, his fitness chief since 2018, whose method blends fitness with the ball, tactics and emotion.

Their partnership began in Egypt, then Leganés, Monterrey, Mallorca and Mexico. “Since Egypt, our relationship has gone beyond the professional,” Lorente said in 2023 to Diario de Mallorca.

Players must be conditioned to play football, not trained in isolation. With Toni Amor he designs sessions and Aguirre decides. “He controls everything, but knows where to place his efforts.”

Humour underpins his work, easing communication and buy-in. He believes emotion can shape physical output in games, and that bonds help players respond when demands rise.

He will run a mini pre-season after fitness assessments this week. He avoids traditional long runs, seeking to get everyone “speaking the same physical language”, integrating running, resistance, speed and strength with football actions and recovery.

Lorente targets stable performance over big peaks. “We have Ferraris, but pushing them at 400 kilometres per hour all the time raises risk”, preferring 375 or 380 to sustain intensity longer.

Pablo Maffeo knows the regime from Mallorca, with workloads varying by position. Asked who might win a 100-metre race, “Maffeo, Gio González or Amath, one of them”.

Rafa Márquez, Mexico coach, tried to keep him after the 2026 World Cup, but a release clause enabled the move to Mestalla. The task is restoring consistency and intensity to a squad as medical and physio departments change.

Source: Superdeporte

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”