Pintus returns as Florentino Perez moves to shake up Real Madrid | OneFootball

Antonio Pintus has been restored to lead Real Madrid’s fitness, a move that underlines Florentino Perez’s intent to reassert control of the team.

At Valdebebas on Tuesday, Alvaro Arbeloa’s first session began with Pintus beside him, the Italian immediately leading the warm-up. According to L'Équipe, the club staged it to show his return matters as much as Arbeloa replacing Xabi Alonso.

Pintus, 63, had been moved to the academy after Alonso arrived last summer. About 10 days ago Niko Mihic returned as head of the first-team medical department, a post he held from 2017 to 2023. Their comeback signals a reset towards methods that thrived under Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti.

Perez has fretted over injuries and Madrid’s drop after the hour when intensity rises. The hierarchy believe Alonso’s tactical demands drained players, and Perez’s push to restore Pintus met repeated refusals. Revived on Monday afternoon, the issue and Alonso’s latest no partly hastened his dismissal.

The board hope promoting Arbeloa, 42, can echo the Zidane template. Pintus, hired from Lyon in January 2016 by Zidane, was pivotal until 2019, then again in 2021 to 2024. With him, Madrid won 20 trophies, including five Champions Leagues and three Liga titles.

Seen as closer to the dressing room than the previous staff, Pintus is popular with players. Kylian Mbappé will revisit the regime of a coach nicknamed the Sergeant, the General and the Devil. Even so, his methods cannot mask any lack of effort or leadership.

Source: L'Équipe