4 takeaways from Antonio Conte’s first Chelsea press conference

Antonio Conte on the pressure of coaching in the Premier League and at Chelsea FC – Andre Carlisle

Chelsea have won the Premier League four times since 2004. The last time was a year ago. Since 2006 Chelsea have won the FA Cup four times as well. The last FA Cup win came the same year the club also won its only Champions League title. Last season the club defended its title by finishing tenth. The club’s most recognizable manager, Jose Mourinho, was sacked.

Next season Mourinho will be on Manchester United’s sideline. Pep Guardiola will helm Manchester City. Leicester will be back, so too might Tottenham. Jurgen Klopp is raring to prove himself and Arsenal, well, they’re always there aren’t they.

At Antonio Conte’s first press conference as Chelsea manager, when asked about feeling pressure, he laughed. Not a chuckle, a laugh. Not a giggle of vulnerability signaling he’d rather not think about it all at once, a genuine – hearty even – laugh. It wasn’t meant as disrespect, it was natural. Why wouldn’t it be?

Juventus’ first Serie A win was in 1905, they have won 31 since. Though Juventus has only won the European Cup/Champions League twice, it has been in seven finals.

As Conte mentioned, when he came to Juventus they had finished 7th in back-to-back years. He didn’t mention they were also recovering from a match fixing scandal. They are again, now, what they were because of him.

When Conte finally wound his laugh down to a point where words could fit between chortles, he said “I was born with pressure and the pressure is not important for me.”

Anyone else saying this would be dismissed as trying too hard to land an audition for The Expendables 4. For Conte it’s just true, so true that the only appropriate response to pressure being made to stare him in the eyes yet again, is a laugh.

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