How did Antonio Conte turn Chelsea into Premier League title winners?

Add as preferred source on Google

Friday night’s match against West Bromwich Albion crowned Chelsea champions of the Premier League once again.

The Blues victory at The Hawthorns was the 25^th out of 30 league matches since Antonio Conte re-geared his team in September, and this was soon followed by emphatic home successes over Watford and then Sunderland, on the final day of the season. 27 wins from just 32 matches – an incredible ratio.

His decisive tactical switches have coaxed the enthralling run from this team, especially from Victor Moses, who became a key role in the title surge after a not-so-great start in the autumn.

However, it’s Conte’s part that shines through in Chelsea’s run to victory, and not just as an example of ruthlessly detailed coaching or man-management. During that run of Chelsea trophies there have been 11 changes of manager, each one believing that the hierarchy and structures of the club are what keeps it going.

With Conte it’s different. In the Italian head coach, Chelsea have a manager who inherited a worn out, messy and chaotic squad, who had the worst title defence in 25 years and managed to create a fresh title winning team from almost the same group of players.

But how, exactly, did Conte turn the Stamford Bridge outfit into champions?

It started with Conte being the calm in the center of a storm. The Italian manager managed to bring some order to the chaos, which wasn’t always easy. At times he has had to wrestle Chelsea’s season back on track, but each time he did. He did it calmly and with intelligence, making sure to always put out the flames, rather than pouring petrol on them.

Although he took it on his stride, this would not have been easy for Conte. At the time when he inherited the team, they had rebelled against the rule of Jose Mourinho and pretty much dropped all tools and gave up, finishing 10^th in the Premier League.

But his deployment of his resources combined with tactical awareness have been excellent, and he managed to turn a team who were struggling into one capable of winning the title with two games to spare, fending off a hugely impressive Tottenham Hotspur side.

The pivotal moment this season, came when Conte made the switch to Chelsea’s current 3-4-3 formation, after the away defeat by Arsenal last September. The now famous tactical adjustment set the template for the rest of the Blue’s season.

Conte was also noble when Diego Costa tipped the scales, after being tempted by a well paid move to China. He knew it was purely a test of Costa’s character and strength, but rather than ridicule him and put him down, Conte, with some gentle, yet effective, persuasion, took away the problem. He knew his player well enough to do so.

And Chelsea have never looked back after Conte made some tough, but ultimately masterful, selection decisions in the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham. That paid off for the Italian, during a period in which his side had lost to both Crystal Palace and Manchester United in April within 15 days.

Conte has lit up the English league in more ways than one. As well as his practical ability as a manager, he has shone with his enthusiasm and genuine joy and love for his players and the game. To watch, Conte is intense and immersive and gets caught up in all of a games actions, and this has translated into his side’s success on the pitch this term.

Featured Image: All rights reserved by Báo bóng ?á-BD 24h m?i nh?t ngày hôm nay