Antonio Conte is at Chelsea to win, not “to make all the players happy”

Winning makes Antonio Conte happier than anything else. Hopefully his players feel the same way, because he is pursuing victory first and foremost.

Antonio Conte explained his FA Cup squad selection by going back to his fundamental consideration. Against Wolves as against all opponents, he looked for the best solution that will produce a win.

Conte played a much stronger side against Wolves than he had in the previous FA Cup matches. After the tie he laid out his thought process in choosing his starting XI. He started by reminding the world why he is at Chelsea: “to win. not to try to make all the players happy.”

"I thought for Diego it was very important to play and to score. For me it was very important to find a new solution with two wingers as wing-backs… I think John Terry deserved to play this game, he played very well and I am happy for him. – Chelsea FC"

Michy Batshuayi is one of the first names to come to mind when thinking about a player who may not be happy with Antonio Conte’s lineup choices. Batshuayi is lucky if he comes on before stoppage time in the Premier League. The EFL Cup and FA Cup were his only opportunities to start. He acquitted himself well each time he went the full 90. However, he took a backseat to Diego Costa against Wolves.

Cesc Fabregas is another player who could justifiably resent his place in the depth chart. He has 400 more minutes than Batshuayi in the Premier League this season. However, the gap in experience, quality and accomplishment between the two is vast. Batshuayi has plenty of potential, but Fabregas is a proven and known world-class player.

Still, both players are seemingly satisfied at Chelsea. That is a testament to Antonio Conte’s man-management as well as their professionalism. Conte has instilled a team spirit at Chelsea that motivates every player, regardless of playing time. He has made ruthless choices in pursuit of victory without losing his locker room, and barely losing any games in the process.

"Conte is the ultimate professional in the Premier League. He has built such a philosophy into the club and everyone is buying into it. Whether Chelsea win silverware or not this season, he is building something for the long term. That is something every fan wants. – Rayna Sidhu, The Blue Lions"

Antonio Conte’s ability to play the long game allowed him to see Chelsea through the difficult results early in the season and bounce back from the loss to Tottenham. Results like the draw against Burnley are jarring because he raised the standards and expectations around a team that – in the preseason – would have been content simply to qualify for the Champions League.

The potential downside to Conte’s focus on winning in the present is that he is short-changing the players who will lead Chelsea’s future. Unless Chelsea want to continually ply the transfer market for established stars, they need to blood youngsters and account for the learning curve for players like Batshuayi, Nathan Ake and those who will return over the summer.

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This risk is lower with Antonio Conte than any other manager. He showed at Juventus and Italy that he can balance short-term results with a long-term development plan. The players clearly share his vision and trust his ability to deliver it. As a result, winning keeps everyone happy.