With the 2021/22 season fast approaching, Inter TV has caught up with rehabilitation coach Andrea Belli to learn about his role within the club.
What does a rehabilitation coach do?
“My role consists of helping injured players get back into the physical condition they were in before they got injured. I take players as soon as they come out of the physiotherapy stage, when the clinical healing process is already 90% complete, and I work with them both in the gym and out on the grass. The aim is to get their strength, aerobic conditioning and speed back to their pre-injury levels. Depending on the type of injury, the seriousness of the injury and the recovery time, there can be a detraining period where the players lose significant ground both generally and in terms of strength.”
You’ve been at Inter for many years and know the club well. How are things going with the new coaching team?
“Everything is going very well. We’ve had three intense weeks of pre-season where all the players have given it their all. We’re moving in the right direction.”
How did you come to join Inter?
“This is the start of my eighth season with the club. Before I was the rehabilitation coach of the Qatari national team, but then the call from Inter came in. I had two years as a physiotherapist in the medical team, then because I always had experience of being a fitness coach, the opportunity arose for me to move into rehabilitation. It’s a position that I feel I’ve made my own over the past six seasons.”
What are the expectations for this season?
“We want to build on last season, and we’ll battle hard to reproduce that as well as trying to have a good run in Europe. We know it’s very difficult to win, but we have the means and the ability to do it. The whole club is determined to continue pushing for that.”