It is evident according to recent reports that Chelsea manager, Antonio Conte’s days are numbered at Chelsea FC.
He has had a protracted battle with the boardroom staff at Stamford Bridge. He was the man of the moment when he joined Chelsea in 2016/2017.
He won the league in his first season in one of the most fashionable ways ever in the English Premier Legaue.
He started the season with his predecessor, Jose Mourinho’s formation, which was 4-4-2. He lost eight points with that formation, a draw at Swansea and a loss to Liverpool and Arsenal. It was the loss to Arsenal that sparked a revolution in formation. Conte changed to his traditional 3-4-3 which was alien to the English league.
They went on to demolish teams, beating Everton 5-0 and Manchester United 4-0.
They were in high heavens and they praised Conte to no end. To them, he was better than Jose Mourinho, the so-called special one.
Two seasons later, Conte is about to leave the blues. What was once a fantastic tale has become a sought of nightmare. His body language from the beginning of the season was one of an unhappy person. This unhappiness stemmed from the lack of big spending by Chelsea, a traditionally extravagant club in the transfer market.
Reports had it that the hierarchy at the club, especially Marina Granovskaia, was unwilling to pay heavy for the players of his choice.
He wanted Andrea Belotti of Torino, but his fee was too high. He turned his attention to Romelu Lukakuu who joined Manchester United. All these happened while he had already sent a text to one of Chelsea’s best players, Diego Costa, that he would not be part of his plans in the coming season.
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It was a move the board was not in support of. But Conte being as stubborn as he was at Juventus, remained adamant and insisted that Costa, had to leave. No matter how the board stalled his transfer, Conte would not budge.
The lack of synergy between Conte and his bosses culminated in a 3-2 loss to Burnley in the opening game of the season.
About five games after, Chelsea were not in a good position on the league table. Pundits became divided in analyzing Chelsea’s misfortunes in the early days of the season. Some blamed it on Conte’ rift with Costa and not signing top players after losing a player like Nemanjea Matic to United. Others blamed it on the clubs involvement in all competitions, including the UEFA Champions League.
Game after game, the frustration was obvious from the look on the Italian’s face. At every opportunity, he did not hide his dismay at the club for not signing many players. Pundits were of the view that his constant complaints drew the angst of the leaders at Chelsea.
There were already rumours of replacing him with some big names in Europe. The likes of Luis Enrique and the ever ready Carlo Ancelotti were among the names.
Now it is all about Napoli’s head coach, Maurizio Sarri. Very soon, the North London club will announce the departure of Conte and the arrival of Sarri, another Italian tactician. The difference is that his brand of football is similar to Tiki taka. In Italy, it is called the ‘Sarri’ football.
Where does Conte go from here?
There have been reports linking back to AC Milan in Italy. There are also reports that he may be on sabbatical like Pep Guardiola did in the past.
Here is what he had to say after the FA Cup victory at Wembley when asked about his future.
“For sure, when you decide to take a coach like me, you must know who you are taking on, who you are charging for this job,” he said. “I cannot change my personality.”
When he was stylishly asked about emulating Pep Guardiola, he replied, “If you ask me if we can play better then, yes, we can play better, but after this game.”
“For now, the real situation of this club is this: we have to play strong defensively if we want to win a trophy or get a place in the Champions League. Maybe we missed the Champions League this season because we tried to play very open and, in this moment, we can’t do this, especially against a strong team.
“To concede three goals in seven games it means you don’t have stability. A great team doesn’t concede three goals, or four goals against Watford.
“[Playing like this] was the only way to lift a trophy. If you want to change then we can change our idea, but you must change many players. Understand? Last season, after we won the Premier League, we spoke with the club and tried to find the right way to defend our title. But, as you know, it’s not simple and sometimes you can have not always the same ambition. This season, with my staff, I have worked more than last season to overcome the difficulties. The mountain we had to climb was very high, very high, very high … but, despite this, we lifted an important trophy.”
He had shared a businesslike handshake and brief nod of the head with Granovskaia as he walked along the line of dignitaries just prior to hoisting of another major trophy.
“The club has the right experience to understand what they have to do in the future to be competitive, and to fight for a place in the Champions League,” he added. “And not just to win, but to win well.”
Conte will not be short of clubs right now due to his impressive record. Wherever he goes, one thing is sure: They will love his touchline swagger.
