COOL IT CONTE!
Blues boss sheds half a stone each match ...and needs to relax
Antonio Conte has claimed he can shed almost half a stone during 90 minutes of touchline hyperactivity.
Conte’s pitch-side passion was one of the enduring images of Chelsea’s title triumph last season. the italian, who will be 48 on Monday, lives every second of every game but admits it may soon be time to calm down.
‘if you saw me as a footballer, i always showed a great passion,’ said Conte. ‘My talent as a footballer was medium but i had heart and a will to win and work to overcome my limitations. i knew it was going to be difficult to become a top player but i played for 20 years at a good level. to be captain and win a lot at Juventus and play for 20 years and play in the World Cup and the european Championship . . . i think i had a good career, no? i was a good player.
‘i have transferred my passion into my career as a coach but i have more talent as a coach than as a player.
‘During the game i try to stay together with my players in positive and negative situations. it’s true, i finish the game and i am destroyed. i lose two or three kilos during a game.’
three kilograms is just under half a stone. He adds: ‘to stay on the touchline and show this passion you must have strength and, for sure, in the future my strength will be less. Maybe i will try to keep myself calmer and more seated.’ Probably not, however, in the season ahead. Conte is energised by the prospect of returning to the Champions League. He won the competition as a player at Juventus but has experienced only 16 games as a coach. Juventus reached the last eight in his first european campaign in charge and went out in the group stage at his second try.
‘i am excited to play in the Champions League with Chelsea,’ said Conte. ‘i know we have a lot of road ahead before we can compete to try to win the Champions League.
‘We are trying to rebuild and it’s not easy. You need time to create a structure and to build every season and then to go to fight.’
Conte has made no secret of his desire to make more signings and bolster his squad and pointed to Bayern Munich’s strength in depth after losing in a pre- season friendly to the German champions here in Singapore.
‘Against Bayern, we played against a very strong team and don’t forget they had (David) Alaba and (Juan) Bernat on the bench and seven players at home,’ said Conte, who has spent £140million on new players this summer.
Bayern, in fact, had more than seven players at home. Still, they beat Chelsea with a team of stars including thomas Muller, Robert Lewandowski and James Rodriguez. ‘ this is the reality,’ said Conte. ‘Bayern Munich are ready to fight to win the Champions League. For them it is easier because they have a good structure with a good base of 17 or 18 players. then you pay £80m for one player or £90m for two players and your transfer market is finished.
‘When you rebuild you need to buy players to create the solid foundation and then find one or two strong players to improve your quality in an important way.’