Chelsea’s new manager, Antonio Conte, is set to become the eleventh coach in Roman Abramovich’s thirteen-year rule. The 46-year-old will replace Guus Hiddink, who temporarily in charge after Jose Mourinho’s departure, and will take over after he has led Italy in the European Championship this Summer.
As a midfielder, Conte had an illustrious playing career at Juventus, winning five league titles, one Coppa Italia, one UEFA Cup and the Champions League in 1996. He quickly became one of the most important players in the club’s history. His international career was short-lived but eventful. He reached the European Championship final with Italy in 2000 and the World Cup final six years prior in 1994, losing both matches.
Conte made the transition from player to manager in July 2006 when he was appointed manager of Arezzo in Serie B. In his first job he faced difficulty as was relieved of his duties just four months in to his tenure in October after a poor run of results. He then returned to this same position a year later but despite more positive results he was unable to keep the side in the second-tier.
His first success as a manager came as he led Bari to promotion to Serie A in 2009 just a year after leading them successfully out of a relegation battle. The Italian then took charge of Atalanta but was sacked after just fourteen games following a poor run of results. Conte’s final job before Juventus was when he tasked to take Siena to the back to the top-tier, which he achieved within a year. He then stabilised the Tuscan side before joining the club with whom he had so much success as a player.
As Juventus manager, Conte led the Old Lady to three successive Serie A titles in his three years at the club. This success gained him many plaudits and he received the ‘Best Coach of the Year’ Award in 2013. The biggest difficulty for him was success on the European stage. The Bianconeri reached the quarter-final of the Champions League in 2013 but were hammered by eventual winners Bayern Munich 4-0 on aggregate. In his final year at the club, Juve were knocked out in the Champions League group stages, but made it to the Europa League semi-final.
Like his international career with the Azzurri, Conte’s time in charge as manager was short but successful. He led his country to the top of their qualifying group and remained unbeaten in all ten qualifiers, finishing four points clear of Croatia. Italy have shown their strength in friendlies, with a number of good results. They will be desperate for success after their disappointing group stage exit of the 2014 World Cup under Cesare Prandelli.
His style of management is varied and versatile. Conte is known for his use of the 3-5-2 formation, playing with two wing-backs and two out-and-out strikers but has often deployed 4-4-1-1 and 4-3-3 formations. He opts for direct football, always wanting the ball to played out wide or to the strikers. His sides are known for their defensive strength and resilience but he stresses the importance of attacking play.
Conte has been likened to a multitude of managers, perhaps most notably former Chelsea manager José Mourinho. Both managers are tactically obsessed and plan meticulously. Both are unpredictable and volatile, which can be to their detriment. Many Juventus players have been quick to praise Conte’s man-management abilities, which could be vital to his success at Chelsea.
Hi ability to manage his players has been reiterated by Sky Italia reporter Augusto de Bartolo who expressed that “Conte is very popular with his players. The concrete example of this is when he was at Juventus and the relations he established with Carlos Tevez. The former Manchester City striker was a rebel but under Conte’s guidance he probably played the best football of his career in Turin. Unlike his time at City, Tevez showed his leadership not only on the pitch but always as a symbol of the team. Conte is a coach who has a great and positive influence on his team.”
However, his volatile nature and his short temper has been criticised and many see this as a weakness. This was shown in his final season at the Old Lady, when he exploded in a flurry of rage aimed at Juventus legend Gianlugi Buffon, after he enquired about end of season bonuses. He sent the entire squad out of the dressing room and told the goalkeeper: “I don’t want to hear another word. From you, of all people, I would never have expected such a thing. Bonuses … You’re a disappointment, a defeat from the moment you open your mouth. Just like all the rest of these half-wits.”
Much has been made as to whether Conte will build a midfield line that will be able to protect Oscar and allow him to express himself, similarly to the midfield line that included Vidal, Pirlo and Marchisio which allowed Pogba to be free and express himself to maximise his potential at Juventus.
In terms of transfers, many have remarked that Conte may look to bring in Paul Pogba due to the success the two had together previously. However, this may be an unnecessary expense as Chelsea are already well-served in his position. More realistically, he may look towards Roma and Belgium midfielder Radja Nainggolan to help build that strong midfield line to help Oscar flourish.
With stalwart John Terry’s contract set to expire and Gary Cahill’s trouble with form and injuries, defensive signings will be very likely, too. A strong defence will most likely be built around the young and very promising Kurt Zouma when he returns from injury.
In 2012, Conte was embroiled in the Italian betting scandal. He was accused of not reporting match fixing by Siena owner Massimo Mezzaroma after he allegedly instructed his side to ensure the match ended in a draw so that he could receive large winnings on a bet made on the game. In August 2012, Conte was found guilty of not reporting match fixing and was given a ten month touchline ban for his actions. However, feeling he had been hard done by, Juventus appealed his ban to the Italian Sports Arbitration Panel and the ban was reduced to four months.
Conte angered many Italians by calling up Eder and Franco Vazquez, both of whom were born in South America. This sparked a lot of discontent, most notably from Roberto Mancini when he argued: “The Italian national team should be Italian. An Italian player deserves to play for the national team while someone who wasn’t born in Italy, even if they have relatives, I don’t think they deserve to.” Conte responded “If Mauro Camoranesi [who was born in Argentina] was allowed to help Italy win the 2006 World Cup, then why can’t Éder and Franco Vázquez lead the Azzurri to glory in next year’s European Championship?”
Despite his critics, Conte is a great selection and his name has been added to the increasingly impressive list of managers who will be in the Premier League next season. If he can guide Chelsea to success even in the face of such competition, it will add to the achievement.
