Antonio Conte’s comments worryingly reek of Jose Mourinho
Antonio Conte has bizarrely laid into Tottenham Hotspur while speaking to the press. It worryingly reeks of ex-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.
Antonio Conte sat down with the press in recent days and details of their discussions were published last night. The Chelsea boss took the chance to lay into Tottenham Hotspur in a move that worryingly recalls the whinging of Jose Mourinho.
The Italian questioned Tottenham’s ambition as a club, claiming that they seem to accept failure rather than strive for greatness.
"My question is this: What are Tottenham’s expectations? If they don’t win the title, it’s not a tragedy. If they don’t arrive in the Champions League, it’s not a tragedy. – Evening Standard"
Whatever your views on Spurs, this is just plain odd from Conte. The boss went through all of last season watching his words and not directly criticising opposition clubs and players.
Before this campaign has even started, Conte has taken aim at one of Chelsea’s rivals. Moreover, it seems completely unprompted.
Must Read: Sanches, Dembele, Sandro: Realistic transfer targets Chelsea should pursue
The cynics amongst Blues fans may be slightly concerned by these comments. Mostly because it is not too far from the ‘mind games’ employed by former manager, Jose Mourinho.
The Portuguese tactician spends the bulk of his time discussing other teams, other players and referees. His press tactics have worked in the past. They deflect attention from his squad onto third parties.
However, they were also a feature of the disastrous 2015/16 campaign that is still so fresh in the memory. Mourinho ended up criticising his own players that season (rightly or wrongly, that’s for another day), but he was still fervently taking shots around the league.
Given that Conte has been nothing like Mourinho so far, this could make some fans feel uneasy. After winning the Premier League, fears are that the Blues will have a complete breakdown as they did two years ago.
That was one for the ages. Something that should never happen again. However, bizarre outbursts like this do little but evoke troubled memories of a lost season.
Next: Cahill defied his doubters all the way to Chelsea’s captaincy
Hopefully, this was just a slip of the tongue from Conte. Perhaps he was goaded into comments by the journalists. Whatever his excuse, the Italian should revert to the way in which he has usually been conducting himself. These comments are way too Jose Mourinho. We really don’t want that.