Not even Pintus has it: Real Madrid's new trainer reveals how they'll avoid injuries

Xabi Alonso's arrival at Real Madrid is a radical change compared to the training methods and approaches shown by Carlo Ancelotti during his second spell. The Tolosa coach understands that he must impose his style to reach the winning path as soon as possible: that's the main goal set for him by the Valdebebas offices.

Given this, the Basque coach has a highly qualified coaching staff that works together with former club employees. One of the most notable connections is Antonio Pintus, former head of physical preparation. The experienced Italian trainer has reportedly been slightly moved from that position to his new role as performance manager.

While it's true that Antonio Pintus still has much to say regarding the first team's physical preparation, the main responsibility now falls on Ismael Camenforte. This trusted employee of Xabi Alonso has at his disposal several coaches with whom he has implemented a system that Pintus himself hadn't considered until now.

According to the creator of this particular method, it's specifically designed to prevent injuries in players. Combating medical absences has become a priority for the new Real Madrid coaches, given the endless "plague" of ailments they suffered during the previous season.

Absolute innovation

Javier Arnáiz is directly responsible for creating the "Thermo Human" method. Essentially, it's about using a "technology that can tell us whether it's true or false that a player is overloaded at that moment". To do this, Arnáiz has turned to the use of "infrared thermography for injury prevention and monitoring", he told "El Chiringuito de Jugones".

The key to this innovative method in physical preparation, according to Arnáiz, lies in "thermal asymmetries". Those results in the analyses provide data about the footballers' physical condition. "We can see if there's a physiological sign related to temperature and, in an avatar, it shows which areas have the highest temperature", the Madrid coach points out.

"An excess of energy is inflammation", meaning a clear warning for the first team's coaches. "This type of thermographic camera is used in racehorses" to analyze the physical condition of animals accustomed to physically demanding "explosiveness" over time.

Javier Arnáiz warns that this method "is unique in the world" even though many teams have already tried it for some time: "we started with Rafa Benítez's Liverpool". He also implemented it with the Mexican national team, where he was between 2022 and 2024... until Xabi Alonso called him to his side to join the new Real Madrid coaching staff.