Why Antonio Conte is the perfect man to get Chelsea back on track?

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It was confirmed earlier this week that current Italian national team manager Antonio Conte would take over the reins at Chelsea once he has taken his current side to Euro 2016. This appointment has been met with somewhat mixed reviews. There are those that feel that Conte is too similar to Mourinho in his approach and there is definitely some substance to this as they are both stubborn and combative, but also fantastically talented coaches. Conte’s drill sergeant-like approach to management was one of the main reasons for his eventual demise at Juventus; but it could prove to be exactly what this Chelsea side needs at the moment.

Guus Hiddink has done a great job in steadying the Chelsea ship and deserves a lot of credit for the work that he has done with the side over a short period of time, but Conte has built a big reputation in his relatively short time spent in management.

Antonio Conte’s managerial achievements during his time at Juventus are unquestionable. He won 3 Serie A titles as well 2 Italian Supercups in his time there, and he will certainly be looking to bring that winning mentality to Stamford Bridge when he arrives, following the completion of Euro 2016. He is undoubtedly an excellent tactician, but it is his man-management tactics that have perhaps drawn the most attention. There are many stories of his infamous outbursts but the most telling comes from the autobiography of Andrea Pirlo. Pirlo wrote “When Conte speaks, his words assault you. They crash through the doors of your mind. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve said: ‘Hell, Conte said something really spot-on again today.’”

It was this sort of intensity and passion that led to the Chelsea team buying into José Mourinho’s approach when he first arrived at Stamford Bridge and it is likely that the same could happen when Conte takes over. The Italian has the capacity to get a response out of players using his motivational and hard-nosed approach and this could prove to be very fruitful for the former Juventus man.

Chelsea themselves are definitely a team that have earned the right to effectively have their pick of the managerial elite when the job becomes available at the Bridge and they could not have selected a better manager to get them out of their current situation than Antonio Conte. He took Juventus from two successive seventh placed finishes following their relegation to Serie B on match-fixing charges; to 3 successive Serie A titles – including an unbeaten season in 2011/12 and becoming the first side to Serie A history to get more than 100 points in a season. Therefore, Conte is the man to take a group of under-performing elite level players and get them back to the standards that Chelsea have become accustomed to in the past few years.

As a player, Conte was a tough tackling midfielder who, although an excellent technical player, also had built a reputation as a grafter and rarely left a single blade of grass untouched when he went on the field. The former Juventus man has brought this mentality to his management and expects nothing less than absolutely maximum effort from each and every one of his players. This sounds like it is the perfect antidote for this current Chelsea side, but it is where some of the doubt in to Conte’s appointment emerge from. When José Mourinho left Chelsea in December he complained that the players had stopped playing for him and as one of the most knowledgeable and charismatic managers in the game today, it does make you wonder whether the Chelsea squad will be willing to make big changes under a completely new manager.

However, should the Chelsea players buy into the methods of Antonio Conte; they could see themselves back fighting for the Premier League title very soon. Conte has already shown his ability to get success out of a team that are underperforming and transforming them into a formidable side during his time at Juventus. Chelsea fans will definitely be hoping that he can repeat the trick in England. The effects may not be as immediate as they were in Italy, as Conte will have to take time to learn the English game better and accustom his players with his methodologies. However, Conte is the perfect candidate for getting Chelsea out of their current predicament and his appointment could prove to be an absolute masterstroke by Chelsea.

Is Antonio Conte the perfect man at a troubled time for Chelsea? Can he get the best out of the likes of Eden Hazard, Nemanja Matic and co? And, perhaps more importantly, can he bring the Premier League title back to Stamford Bridge? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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