When the prodigal child returned to Stamford Bridge in 2013, fans and neutrals around the world were sure of a long term marriage. After all, here was a man who had made Chelsea what they are today. Multiple championships, the rep of a European powerhouse and a formidable fort at home; the reunion seemed too good to be true really.
And it was.
But Jose Mourinho was sacked again in 2015. It was announced that post Euros, the Italian Manager and Juventus legend Antonio Conte would be the new Chelsea coach. A bold move, but a smart one; simply because Conte has a ridiculous list of accolades.
A tenacious midfielder in his playing days, Conte succeeded Gianluca Vialli as the Club captain and was infamous for his determination on the midfield that he would later take with him at the helm of the club and win trophies and hearts galore. Here’s a cracker of a story by Juventus Captain and Italian Legend Gianluigi Buffon that illustrates both points at the same time:
“It was the last game of the season (2013-14) and the club executive was urged to ask about the player bonuses so I went and found Conte. I opened up and started to talk about it and then, he lost his mind, kicked everybody out of the room and then screamed at me: “You Gigi! I never expected you to be in here discussing bonuses! A defeat from when you open your mouth!””
They won the game 3-0.
To say Conte wears his heart on his sleeve would be a gross understatement. Not only did he revitalise a trodden Juve fresh from Serie B, he led them to glory adapting a style that was seldom seen in Italy: the infamous 3-5-2, wingbacks.
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The home of the defensive tactics, Italy is ruled by football that is played in a more methodical and safer manner. Conte apparently saw that as the enemy and pretty much like Pep at Barca, introduced this new swashbuckling form of play that did remarkably well.
It birthed Pogba, it gave us a firecracker like Arturo Vidal and a slew of players that came to the dance. Conte’s Juve were a joy to watch and Allegri carried that when Conte relinquished to go to the national team.
A standard performance but one thinks he will get another crack at the national job somewhere down the line as the Bridge beckoned. And the first question asked of his tactical prowess by the English Media: “Will you play the 3-5-2?”
Read also: Why sacking Jose Mourinho is not the way out for Manchester United
He shied from the question focusing on finding what fit the team, just like he did at Juve. The Turin side revolved through various incarnations to finally settle with the wing back party. Now as Conte did the same, all eyes were on the players on the pitch.
His influence on Costa could have been disastrous. Imagining an emotional manager talking to a player that likes to instigate action would have seemed ill-fit and yet, Costa has been on his best behavior so far and is currently the league’s top scorer.
Look at Hazard! The man has been long heralded the Great Belgian Balon D’Or Hope and is finally turning in the performances that might put him in contention.
And good God Pedro! Where has this man been under Mourinho? Pedro is bringing his Barca flair with Cruyff-like turns and blinders to the back of the net.
Under Conte, Kante Will Win Balon D’Or. Bold I know, but at this rate and seeing how the French squad is maturing, Kante could be the one that breaks the Ronaldo-Messi decade reign. His work under the 3-5-2 is the most important along with Nemanja Matic and that was nowhere clearer than this Saturday against Tottenham Hotspurs.
An end to end game that started like a house on fire and then turned into a tactical masterclass by Antonio Conte the game was dubbed ‘The Battle at the Bridge’ and rightfully so.
When Eriksen smacked the ball into the back of the net, it seemed like the Blue Streak was finally over. But a goal of the season contender by Pedro and the alternate version of the 3-5-2 i.e the 5-3-2 with Kante and Matic harassing the Spurs attackers paid dividend as Moses (what a story there!) tapped the ball in, giving Chelsea a genius of a win.
At the heart of this lies the confidence Conte has shown throughout his career, how he sticks with his plans and has an alternate route out of it if the opponent comes prepared. It is all the part of his plan it seems and here is the man himself explaining it quite gloriously:
“I did not have Zinedine Zidane or Roberto Baggio‘s talent as a player, and I have played with both, that even when they were circled they could try to break through or create interesting situations with the ball. When I was a player, my efforts and work-rate, my willingness to sacrifice fitness and humility made up for my lack of pure talent but sometimes, if I didn’t find a teammate next to me, I might lose the ball.
As a manager, my first thought from day one was that I wanted to find solutions for my players when the ball reached them, as I could not. If my players don’t understand something, I force the player to ask me why we are doing such movement or working on certain tactics in training both offensively or defensively. I always want my players to be fully understanding of the problem. I want them to understand why we are doing certain things and why those things are useful.”
This Chelsea squad might do something mighty this season.
(Opener courtesy: premierleague.com)
