On arriving at Chelsea, Antonio Conte promised to create a “blazing inferno”, but in the end he proved too hot to handle for the board’s liking.

Conte leaves the west London club with a great deal to be proud of - and even though things turned sour, his reign must still be judged a success.

An unexpected Premier League title in his first campaign, something he described as “a miracle”, was an incredible achievement considering Chelsea had finished 10th the year before.

And the Italian’s last game in English football saw him outwit arch-rival Jose Mourinho in the FA Cup Final to ensure Chelsea were the only top-flight club other than Manchester City to lift a trophy in 2017-18.

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Remarkably, despite everyone knowing his days were numbered, it still took nearly eight weeks for his P45 to arrive. An unseemly stand-off over compensation exposed just how vitriolic things had become. Conte refused to walk, Chelsea refused to pay - and neither of their reputations nor prospects for 2018-19 benefited from it.

The farce of Conte taking the first four days of pre-season training summed it up. He had to go through the motions to satisfy any watching lawyers.

Chelsea have a different way of working from most clubs and Conte should have known that when he accepted the post in 2016. Already perturbed by what he perceived to be a lack of backing in the transfer market during the first 12 months, the former Juventus coach wrongly believed that winning the title would give him greater influence.

Conte wanted the final say over which players were signed and also sought control of Chelsea’s academy.

Neither request was granted, increasing the level of tension between Conte and the board. At one stage, it appeared possible that Conte would leave last summer.

He did not help his cause by sending a text to star striker Diego Costa at the end of the title-winning season, telling him to find another club.

Chelsea were going to acquiesce to the Spain forward’s demands to leave anyway. However, Conte’s actions led to prolonged negotiations with Atletico Madrid, who Costa rejoined in January, and also upset the striker’s close friends in the dressing room, particularly David Luiz and Willian. It was noticeable that both Brazilians had spells when they were frozen out of the team.

An uneasy peace was struck between the hierarchy and their coach. The two parties agreed to a pay-rise rather than a contract extension on the eve of Chelsea’s pre-season tour, but the tone of uncertainty had been set.

Last July, Conte openly complained about the players at his disposal. “We need to improve the quality and improve the squad because next season will be very tough for us,” he said.

To put the timing of the outburst into context, Chelsea had just broken their transfer record to buy Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid for £58million and also acquired another of his targets, Tiemoue Bakayoko. Antonio Rudiger and Willy Caballero had arrived, too.

Yet, Conte would not let it drop. As the January window ended, where the Blues bought Olivier Giroud, Ross Barkley and Emerson Palmieri, he said: “My task is to try to improve. From the summer, the club decide every player.”

While Chelsea failed to sign Virgil van Dijk or Alexis Sanchez for him, Bakayoko, Morata and Davide Zappacosta were players Conte wanted. One of his main sources of frustration was losing out to Tottenham for Fernando Llorente, who Conte had coached at Juventus. Chelsea were unconvinced that the 32-year-old was worth £14m - and his struggles at Spurs last season suggest they were right.

Another player Conte missed out on was Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but it is believed he was more enamoured with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp’s positive demeanour and his promise to play him in central midfield.

What made Conte so special in 2016-17 was that he made the absolute most of what he had. Turning misfit Victor Moses into a reliable right wing-back was a triumph and a reflection of his coaching. His passion and infectious personality brought joy to supporters.

But last season, Conte’s dark moods rubbed off on the players he was supposed to inspire. Players were being asked to do training on the same day they were ‘rested’ for matches. Few were surprised that the squad suffered more injuries last term and many key individuals, significantly Eden Hazard, were expected to leave should the 48-year-old have stayed for a third campaign.

The game-plan for big fixtures became too conservative as well. He played Hazard as a ‘false nine’ in the 1-0 surrender at Manchester City, where long balls were launched in the 5ft 8ins attacker’s direction. Conte’s record against Arsene Wenger, who was having a difficult time at Arsenal, was poor, while an unseemly public spat with Jose Mourinho brought more scrutiny.

Opening 2018 with a run of five wins in 20 matches guaranteed his departure. By the time Chelsea had started winning again, they had too much ground to make up to qualify for the Champions League.

The FA Cup was a nice way to finish but, in truth, Conte’s flame had already been snuffed out.

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