Chelsea’s Italian manager has demanded a huge effort from his players and been rewarded with a four-game winning run since defeat at Arsenal six weeks ago
Those Chelsea players still on extended leave in mid-July after the European Championship need only have spied snippets of Antonio Conte’s inaugural press conference to discern the new head coach’s mantra. He used the word “work”, or one of its derivatives, 32 times in a little under an hour that day, including one response where he insisted he was “a worker who likes to work”. That was followed up with a rat-a-tat “I only know this verb: to work, work, work”, which was less a reflection on his English and more a reminder of the philosophy which would restore this club’s reputation.
At the time it felt like a threat to his adopted playing staff. It may actually have been a warning for the rest of the Premier League. Fast-forward through a draining pre-season littered with those dreaded triple sessions, undertaken from Cobham to the west coast of the United States, and intensive endurance work to improve fitness, or the stop-start and cluttered match scenarios throughout which Conte barks tactical instructions relentlessly from the sidelines, and Chelsea are reaping the benefits. Plenty has been made of the switch to a three-man defence at Arsenal six weeks ago, when his side trailed 3-0 and the Italian’s brittle patience snapped. But, while that was a key tweak born of desperation, this team’s recent progress reflects as much on the acceptance of a mindset.
Related: Antonio Conte’s adaptability is helping his Chelsea side to prosper
Related: Antonio Conte cautious on title chances after Chelsea extend winning run
Continue reading...