Antonio Conte: the making of Chelsea’s managerial maestro | Dominic Fifield

Apr 15, 2017

Even big-name players recognise the Italian’s imposition of a huge workload is backed by knowledge gained on and off the pitch

Those who have worked under Antonio Conte talk of a moment, discernible in the hours of physical drills or monotonous tactical planning back on the training ground, when the penny drops. It is as if they have all experienced that same flash of realisation, the point when any resentment that has built up at the feverish workload or incessant reminders of on-field duties gives way to acceptance of the Italian’s genius.

His players have all felt it, whether they were turning out at Arezzo at the foot of Serie B or Juventus at the pinnacle, for Bari and Atalanta in Italy’s second tier or, since last summer, with Chelsea in the Premier League. “It’s as if it suddenly dawns on you that, by following him, you can go places,” said Luca Marrone, an Italy Under-21 midfielder who played under Conte at Juve. “He’s the toughest coach you could imagine, someone who demands everything of his players, his staff, the doctors, the physios … everyone at the club has to give 100%.

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