Antonio Conte’s long-term project: Principle and discipline at Chelsea
Beyond the business end of the transfer window, Chelsea and Antonio Conte must set about building the foundations of a long-term project. The club must back the manager well into the future so he can create a culture of professionalism, principle and discipline at Stamford Bridge.
Too often, gossip columns and the glamor of the transfer market mislead people into thinking transfer business, talent, or the number of international players determine the outcome of a season or of their club’s success. This is a falsehood, and is an unhealthy and unsustainable attitude for running a club like Chelsea.
Transfers, talent, excitement and all the glamor around them are indeed exciting. These aspects dress the bare bones of a football club nicely. But it is the spirit and heart of the team that matters most.
This is something that Antonio Conte must set right at Chelsea over the coming season, and maintain as the basis of his legacy.
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That spirit and heart at Chelsea FC has for too long been neglected in lieu of transfer quick-fixes, player appeasement and this sickening new-age approach of coddling egos. Players have always had egos. But for some reason, these days too many managers allow those egos to run rampant over the clubs. Chelsea must say, “No more.”
Their first step should be extending Antonio Conte’s contract. Ideally, he would take a four year extension to his current contract, which ends in 2019. With the extension to 2023 – and the necessary backing of the owner – it will be very obvious to the players in a literal sense that their manager and leader is going nowhere.
His raise would be to the level of top coaches in the world. He would take his place with Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, earning upwards of £10 million a year. Better yet, Chelsea would offer Conte £12.5 million per year in the new contract.
Antonio Conte surely mishandled the Costa case. That was far more checkers than chess. But at the same time it was understandable, if not fully defensible. Diego Costa has not once shown a personal commitment to the club. Chelsea pay him, he does and says what he wants and gets away with it.
Conte’s principals were correct, if not his actions. A player that uncommitted and unaccountable cannot be a long term building block. Conte likely did not expect Costa to take the 11-year old girl approach to the text message and screenshot it, walking around the locker room saying “see, see, OMG.”
That is why Chelsea should double down on Conte. They need to send a message. For the first time in a while, that message will favor the man of character and not the child.
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With Costa gone and Conte firmly protected, that attitude should no longer be acceptable at Chelsea and will never be again. Players are either 100% in or 100% out going forward. Chelsea are now no longer in the business of indulging childish egos. They certainly will not let those players collect a fortune to play a game every week while believing that they are the ones doing Chelsea FC a favor.
Too often Chelsea have suffered for having a turbulent culture. Managers moved in and out, and their principles, ideas and methods changed almost every season. Consequently, the only sustained people have been players. That leads to a misconception among some players that they are more important than not only the manager, but in some cases their teammates and the club.
That is why players like Thibaut Courtois feel comfortable talking about the other clubs they are courting, and how they prefer to live and play in other cities. They will all learn serious lessons about professional decorum the years ahead.
The club will achieve long overdue peace once Conte is secure at Chelsea for the long-term. He is an excellent manager and man of principle. Chelsea are in a wonderful position to establish a culture that can last for decades, and Antonio Conte is the perfect manager to do that.
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The culture he created at Juventus has lasted for six straight Serie A seasons now. That commitment to excellence, the club and self-improvement is near unbeatable. He can repeat that feat at Chelsea FC.