Barca visit presents stage Conte craves
Barcelona’s visit to Chelsea tonight gives Antonio Conte the perfect opportunity to reaffirm his stature as one of Europe’s greatest coaches.
“To play against Barcelona is a great challenge for us,” Conte said after easing the pressure on his job with back-to-back home wins over West Brom and Hull in the past week.
“We must be excited to play this type of game, especially against this team. I consider Barcelona one of the best teams in the world.”
Conte also considers himself one of the best coaches in the world, referring to himself despite a recent 4-1 drubbing at Watford as “a winner”.
He does justification.
In a glittering coaching career, Conte made Juventus title winners again with three consecutive Serie A titles after a five-year drought.
He also surpassed expectations by leading an Italy side short on star names to the quarterfinals of Euro 2016, and delivered the Premier League in his debut so with some season at Chelsea.
However, a second season slump at the Bridge and his fractious relationship with the club’s hierarchy means most believe the Italian won’t last at Chelsea beyond the end of the season at the latest.
Whether it is to convince Roman Abramovich and close aid Marina Granovskaia he should remain in charge next season or to attract the attention of Europe’s other giants who may be looking for a coach come the summer, Conte needs Champions League nights to remember.