Conte wants extra credit for spending less than rivals
Antonio Conte is proud of how his Chelsea team are heading towards the Premier League title despite spending significantly less than Manchester City and Manchester United this season.
Chelsea can take another step towards the title against Southampton on Tuesday night, but Conte enjoyed pointing out at his press conference that the top two teams, Chelsea and Tottenham, have spent significantly less on players recently than City and United. That will be the case this summer as well.
This season was meant to be about the rivalry between Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho but both men have been comprehensively out-coached by Conte and, in fact, by Mauricio Pochettino too.
That is why City and United are scrambling to qualify for the Champions League and preparing for another summer of spending. Conte made three astute additions last summer but he has improved the players he inherited too.
Those players are on the brink of rewarding him with the title, which he said would be the “greatest achievement” of a career in which he has already won three scudetti in a row with Juventus.
Chelsea have spent plenty of money under Roman Abramovich, of course, but last summer they spent just over £110million, recouping half of that in the fee for Oscar in January. Manchester United, meanwhile, spent just under £150million, including Paul Pogba for £89m. City spent £140m last summer and another £27m on Gabriel Jesus in January. This is not news to Conte.
“I think this season it is very important to understand that it is not always about who spends more money who wins,” Conte said on Monday afternoon.
“Otherwise, in this league, this season the name of the [top] team would not be Chelsea or Tottenham, or Arsenal or Liverpool. You understand?” The suggestion is that if the table correlated with spending, then United and City would be top. Those two will likely out-spend Chelsea again this summer but Conte is prepared for that. It has happened before.
“Yes, like every year,” he said. “You have seen the past. You can see that every season they [City and United] spend a lot of money.”
Conte was not explicitly critical of City and United, but he was not shy in pointing out more than once that they are big spenders, and will continue to be. “This season is not the only season the Manchester clubs have spent a lot of money,” Conte said.
“Look at the past. It is normal. It's right for them to do this, to reinforce their teams, if they think this is the right way to win the title.”
Chelsea’s success this season also owes to the fact that they bought specifically the players they most needed. Ngolo Kante has been a brilliant buy but Marcos Alonso and David Luiz have both been crucial to Conte’s 3-4-3 system. Only Michy Batshuayi has not worked out exactly as hoped.
“I think in every situation it is important to find the right balance,” Conte said.
“If you have to spend money, try and spend that money in the right way to take players with the right characteristics for your idea of football. For us, this season is very important because we are trying to build something important for the present.
“To put the foundations down and be strong, stronger for the future. And to build, also, slowly to become a real power. A real power in the future.”
If Chelsea win tonight they can increase the gap over Spurs back to seven points and after their cup semifinal win on Saturday it feels very likely that they will close out the title. For Conte that would be best moment of what has already been a very successful coaching career.
“To win the title in England is a great achievement,” he said.
“A top achievement for the coach, the players and the club. To win in England these days is not easy. We must know that now it's a good season. It will remain a good season.
“But we want it to become a great season, a fantastic season. To become a great or fantastic season there is only one way: to try and win.”