Antonio Conte’s ball-kicking, nose-bleeding, touchline-romping passion captured the hearts of Chelsea fans watching Italy at Euro 2016. His adept use of the press to set the tone around the club will align with the message he instills behind closed doors at Stamford Bridge.
In seven days, the Antonio Conte era at Chelsea well and truly begins. After Italy’s loss to Germany in the most absurd shoot-out in football history, Antonio Conte announced that he would take a week off before assuming the reins at Stamford Bridge.
The Italian’s post-match press conference was reminiscent of some of Jose Mourinho‘s media appearances in his two spells with Chelsea. Conte called out the Italian media for not supporting him against the Italian football establishment, and presented his time in charge as Conte vs. the World.
"I did not see anyone alongside me from the press or the media,” Conte said. “I had to go into battle, Conte against everyone. I have always worked for the best of the national side, fought for their interests and not for my own. I have never felt supported by anyone. The president has always been alongside me, but he can only go so far. – Independent"
Many of Jose Mourinho’s most memorable – and effective – press conferences came when he cast Chelsea as the besieged victim of forces beyond their control. As absurd it was to objective observers, and as infuriating as it was for Chelsea’s rivals, Mourinho’s ability to create a siege mentality within one of England’s richest and most successful clubs galvanized the players and fans.
Conte has a stronger case for being mistreated than Mourinho. The Italian football federation is about as well-managed and corruption-free as any other Italian bureaucracy. Like any national team manager, Conte had to make do who he had. Descriptions of Conte’s Italian national team players always involved the word “mediocre,” followed by “but…..” before launching into praise of Conte’s passion and team-building genius.
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By nearly any estimation, Conte out-performed expectations with the Azzurri at Euro 2016. At Chelsea, Conte will have the resources, flexibility and control that he lacked as Italy’s manager. With these assets and the standard he set at Euro 2016 will come greater expectations than he has faced since leaving Juventus after their third consecutive Serie A title.
Just as the Premier League is more physically demanding than Serie A on the players, the international media scrutiny and pressures on the managers are substantially greater than in Conte’s native league. Conte must harness his full ability to control the club’s message and apply his forceful personality in front of the cameras, just as he does on the pitch. The siege mentality resonates with Chelsea, and Conte has already shown his effectiveness when he instills that in his players and supporters.
must read: Chelsea FC's 5 greatest upsets of all time
Chelsea FC was at the vanguard of English football’s nouveau riche. While most of Chelsea’s fans consider titles and hardware a regular occurrence, the club still carries and transmits the ethos of a club that waited 50 years between league titles. A century of mostly fruitless struggle still define the club more than the 15 pieces of hardware won in the Roman Abramovich era.
Chelsea FC fights best when they are fighting back. As Conte led Juventus to their first Serie A title in nine years in 2012, the Mirror summed up the Conte effect on a team needing a reformation:
“They’re back to being hated and that’s how they like it.”
Next: Does an Antonio Conte win at Euro 2016 hurt Chelsea FC?
The Stamford Bridge faithful would like to nothing more than to be hated – or at the very least, resented – for their success once more.