That education, during Italian football’s zenith, helped mould Antonio Conte the player, Antonio Conte the man, Antonio Conte the coach, and Antonio Conte the manager. It was his decision to undertake his managerial initiation in Italy’s lower leagues rather than aiming straight for the top.

‘Often a player who had a great career thinks they can become a manager quickly,’ he explains.

‘But it is one thing to play, and one thing to be a coach. They’re totally different. You must try to have the right experience before you can reach a fantastic target.

‘For this reason, I preferred to start lower down, and also to have disappointments. When I started, in my first experience as a manager at Arezzo in Serie B, the club sacked me after nine games. Then, they recalled me for the last part of the season. It was very important for me, this experience.

‘Whether you work with the best players in the world or lower down, it’s always difficult to transfer your footballing philosophy,’ adds Conte.

‘You have to work a lot on tactics, on analysis videos, on technical aspects, and then you have to work a lot on the mentality of your players. It’s about trying to transfer your ideas and your mentality. For a coach, the work is very tough, but at the same time you get great satisfaction when you see your team play in the way you like.’

Since his arrival at Stamford Bridge, Conte has seen his Chelsea team consistently perform in the manner he wants, and he will be hoping for more of the same in the coming days as we take on Brighton, Stoke and Arsenal in quick succession. Football at Christmas is something Conte is growing accustomed to, even if the same cannot yet be said for his homeland.

‘This is the first time in Serie A that they are playing during the Christmas period. But then they will have the winter break later in January. It’s not a bad idea after the Christmas period to give a bit of rest, also in England. The players deserve it.

‘To play football over Christmas is a bit strange for me. Last season was the first time for me and my family, but it was great.

‘Christmas is an important period because you can spend a lot of time with your family, and it’s fantastic for the people to spend a part of Christmas at the football with us, and for us to all stay together.’

By Rupert Cane



In the second part of our exclusive interview with the boss, to be published at New Year, Conte talks about the current status of his squad, his players’ ability to adapt, and he also has a message for Blues fans as 2018 begins…