Stop, think and chill: Chelsea are not sacking Antonio Conte
By George Perry
It’s absolutely ridiculous that we even have to write this. Despite breathless reporting by England’s finest gossip mills, Chelsea are not about to sack Antonio Conte.
That paragon of well-considered journalism The Sun is reaping the benefits of a click-storm after reporting that betting outlets Paddy Power, Betway and SunBets suspended the lines on Chelsea sacking Antonio Conte. SunBets’ odds went from 16/1 to 4/1 before they pulled the punt off the book.
When the odds drastically changed, Conte rocketed ahead of David Moyes and Slavan Bilic as the next Premier League manager most likely to lose his job.
Just stop and think about that. Chelsea are in seventh place, ended September with a win and advanced in the EFL Cup. Moyes’ Sunderland are dead-last in the Premier League. Bilic and West Ham are in 18th place, and were deposed from the Europa League qualifier rounds by Astra Giurgiu.
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Even if Chelsea’s rocky September – with the back-to-back league losses including the massacre at the Emirates – was sack-worthy, why now? Roman Abramovich met with Conte three days in a row at Cobham in September. If the owner issued his manager an ultimatum, it’s a strange one.
Normally, if a manager is on the ropes, a loss in the next game will seal his fate. Conte won his next game, showing innovative tactics and resilience to defeat Hull. The 3-4-3 not only won the game, but earned Conte plaudits for making a dramatic lineup and tactical shift.
Even if that performance was insufficient to maintain his post, why would Abramovich wait until after the international break to bring out the axe? Abramovich may be cold and ruthless, but he is not dumb. And he certainly has a depth of experience when it comes to firing his managers.
Abramovich knows how to sack. He knows that you do it as soon as possible after the last game to provide the longest adjustment time before the next fixture. Sacking a manager before an international break is an ideal opportunity because the club has more time to appoint an interim. He, in turn, then has more time to stabilize his squad and get them ready for the next match.
So no, Antonio Conte is not about to lose his job at Chelsea. Normally, odds-makers are pretty reliable because they aggregate the collective knowledge and insight of their participants. But, like any human institution, they can be swept away by panic and passion. And not the good Conte-style #passion.
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If you need something good to punt on for the Leicester City match, see what odds they have for Diego Costa scoring two goals and getting a yellow. If you want to bet on a sacking, stick with Bilic or Moyes. And if you just want to waste money, rather than bet against Conte, you can send it to us.