Antonio Conte has talked about having a harder job than his peers and predecessors in his last two press conferences. He is either setting the stage for more spats and rivalries next season, or scorching the earth on his way out the door.
Everyone in football loves comparing teams, players and coaches across time and space. Antonio Conte is no exception, it seems. Before the Burnley game he talked about how Sean Dyche has an easier job than he does. A Chelsea manager only has four acceptable places in the table, not to mention the pressure to win trophies. A Burnley manager’s target is four times as wide: he just needs to finish in the 17 places not being relegated.
Chelsea’s fixture at Burnley was Conte’s 100th game in charge at Chelsea, and he came away with his 65th win. This is the second-best record over 100 games in Chelsea history. Jose Mourinho won 72 games in his first stint, but those came in a long ago, easier era of Premier League football.
Conte stressed the importance of context in assessing a team’s – and a manager’s – results. He noted Chelsea’s 10th place finish the season before he won the Premier League, and Juventus’ two seventh place finishes before he won Serie A.
"Now it’s not simple, I think. To have this type of results in this moment, in this present Chelsea. I must be pleased for the players, for the club, but, for sure, we could do better… You have to see the era you are going through. – Telegraph"
Conte has spent most of his time at Chelsea denying the press corps snark, soundbites, snideness and everything else they came to love about Jose Mourinho. Now he has brought his opposite numbers into the fray twice in two press conferences, including the only manager who had previously pulled him into the muck.
Mourinho probably relished hearing Conte’s comments. They probably gave him extra motivation to defeat Tottenham on Saturday in the hopes of setting up a month-long war of words with Conte ahead of the FA Cup final. It’s hard to imagine Mourinho would have as much fun with Mauricio Pochettino or Mark Hughes.
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The least charitable reading of Antonio Conte’s remarks is that they are of a piece with his other complaints about his time at Chelsea. Not only does he not have the players he needs and does not have the board’s backing in the transfer market, but he has it harder than other managers in 2018 and than Chelsea managers from 15 years ago. Conte included some transfer talk in his explanation for why Burnley is easier. Those issues could easily be at the root of Friday’s comments. Jose Mourinho won his first 72 games with a transfer spend well in excess of anything the Premier League had previously seen. By the time Antonio Conte arrived at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea’s expenditures were falling behind the Manchester clubs.
The more hopeful interpretation is Conte is feeling Blue and bullish, comfortable with his place among Premier League managers. Looking ahead to his third season in England, he is ready to add the interpersonal dark arts to his repertoire. Perhaps not to the extent of what he had with Walter Mazzarri in Italy, or a day ending in -y for Mourinho, but enough to shape the narratives around the club and get under his opponent’s skin.
Or he may simply be at a point where his English is matching his YOLO. If he does have five, maybe six, games remaining, what’s the point in restraint? It’s the player haters’ ball, and Antonio Conte is emcee.
Next: Conte needs to give Eden Hazard, Willian their turn in the 3-4-1-2