Antonio Conte steadfastly refuses to take the bait at Chelsea’s press conferences

The pre-match press conferences continue to be one of the most tedious parts of Antonio Conte’s job (to say nothing of your humble correspondent). To the enduring chagrin of the Cobham press corps, Conte refuses to get drawn into Jose Mourinho-style theatrics.

Chelsea’s media staff played the role of defensive midfielder in front of Antonio Conte at yesterday’s press conference. The staffer sitting to Conte’s right on the dais cleared out some of the more gratuitous questions, allowing Conte time to deliberate and pick his moments.

At yesterday’s pre-match press conference, a reporter brought up Mourinho’s statement that Louis van Gaal erred in some of his sales at Manchester United. The reporter then asked if Chelsea had made any similar mistakes in player transfers.

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The question was as transparent as it was inappropriate. Even the introduction was set up for clickbait headlines: “I know you don’t want to hear the name but you may not be expecting the question.” Chelsea’s press representative swept the question away, saying “With all due respect, we’ll skip that one.”

Undeterred, the reporter tried to lead Conte into the trap by suggesting Romelu Lukaku and Kevin de Bruyne. Conte responded in a less-than-sensational way.

"In football it’s not simple to give always a correct evaluation of a player. Sometimes it happens that one player last season or two he didn’t play well. And then he has a fantastic season. I don’t think it’s right to talk about a mistake or not a mistake. – Chelsea FC"

Immediately following this answer, the same reporter brought up Conte’s contract situation, amid various rumours. Conte chuckled in exasperation “It’s the same, it’s the same. I told you – ,” he said as the Chelsea rep interjected “Every week, every week.”

One of the many lessons of the past week is that Antonio Conte is not interested in using his press conferences for manipulative effect. Unlike his predecessor and most recent opponent at Stamford Bridge, Conte uses the media to communicate news and his vision. He is not running a strategic communications campaign from the Cobham press room.

Conte does not take the bait offered by Jose Mourinho and a compliant press. That has to frustrate and infuriate Mourinho even more than losing 1-0 to his former squad. Conte had plenty of opportunities in the past week to return Mourinho’s fire. Instead, just as he did on the touchline on Monday night, Conte fights his battles on his own terms, exposing the shallowness of Mourinho’s ploy.

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Perhaps Mourinho will learn his lesson and adjust his off-pitch tactics in the coming seasons. Maybe the assembled media will as well.