Bayern Munich coach Carlo Ancelotti has defended his training methods, amid reports that his training lacked the intensity of his predecessor Pep Guardiola.
Ancelotti, 57, took over at the German champions last summer and his new side struggled to a few indifferent results towards the end of 2016. However, the experienced Italian, who has led Real Madrid and AC Milan to Champions League success, firmly stood up for his tried and tested way of working.
"Most sessions are with the ball. But I don't like to do a lot of running without the ball," he told kicker. "Besides, in a typical session, my players average 6000 or 7000 metres running -- that's enough. "I'm not a coach, who kills his players in training.
"In Spain there's a saying 'Demasiada agua mata la planta' -- which means 'Too much water kills plants' -- it's like that with training too. Training sessions are important, but they must be in the right proportion. You can train hard but you also need to give the body a chance to recover."
While insisting that the game was "more professional" these days, Ancelotti rejected the belief that the sport is good for one's health.
"I played as a pro for 20 years," he said. "I can no longer run and both my knee and back are kaput."
However, despite such warnings, Ancelotti has urged Philipp Lahm to play on -- amid reports that his captain could be set to retire from the game at the end of the season.
"Naturally it's Philipp Lahm's decision. But I've told him I want him to play until the end of his contract in 2018," Ancelotti said. "He's fit and doesn't have any problems. Philipp can become the new Paolo Maldini -- he could play until he's 40 without any difficulty."