Conte up or down?

[Ale18]

Antonio Conte could be sacked at the end of the season.

For what he did in this year and half according to your opinion what should make Roman Abramovich?

 

[Bilo]

sack him innit

 

[mistermagic]

He's made mistakes but still one of the best managers around. I can see a Conte-Unai swap this summer. Would suit both clubs I reckon.

 

[Ale18]

He's made mistakes but still one of the best managers around. I can see a Conte-Unai swap this summer. Would suit both clubs I reckon.

Yes, mate he is one of the best-

I agree with you

 

[SALTIRE]

He's not caring now. Why should he, he'll walk into another top job next year anyway.

 

[mistermagic]

He's not caring now. Why should he, he'll walk into another top job next year anyway.

Not caring? I don't think you've seen his performance on the bench on Wednesday then. He cares very much and doesn't want the sack but knows the board aren't impressed with what's been going on since the title win. I'd welcome him at PSG.

 

[SALTIRE]

Not caring? I don't think you've seen his performance on the bench on Wednesday then. He cares very much and doesn't want the sack but knows the board aren't impressed with what's been going on since the title win. I'd welcome him at PSG.

Well he knows PSG and Real will have him near the top of their lists, so he doesn't have to bother with Chelsea's shenanigans much longer if he doesn't want to.

 

[Ale18]

Not caring? I don't think you've seen his performance on the bench on Wednesday then. He cares very much and doesn't want the sack but knows the board aren't impressed with what's been going on since the title win. I'd welcome him at PSG.

Yes, i agree.

He is proud of his work. They have to give him time to improve the team, he is one of the strongest coach in the world.

He doesn't want to be sacked, he wants to leave when his time will be

This is Antonio Conte.

 

[Bilo]

This is Antonio Conte.

And you can kill a man, but never an idea.

 

[Ale18]

And you can kill a man, but never an idea.

Great post mate !
chapeau

 

[Bilo]

Great post mate !
chapeau

Thanks mate I don't get the credit I deserve round here !

 

[Luc@]

With his workloads, Conte can bring out the best in his players but in the long run he can exhaust them. I've the impression that for this reason some Chelsea players are losing trust in Conte's methods and that's a problem for a manager with his personality, he constantly needs to feel supported by both the ownership and the locker room.

 

[Ale18]

With his workloads, Conte can bring out the best in his players but in the long run he can exhaust them. I've the impression that for this reason some Chelsea players are losing trust in Conte's methods and that's a problem for a manager with his personality, he constantly needs to feel supported by both the ownership and the locker room.

very interesting analysis

but.. Do you think a coach with these characteristics needs to change team often?

I mean.. every 2/3 years?

Bari 2007-2009
Juventus 2011-2014
Italy 2014-2016
Chelsea 2016-2018 (maybe)

 

[mistermagic]

With his workloads, Conte can bring out the best in his players but in the long run he can exhaust them. I've the impression that for this reason some Chelsea players are losing trust in Conte's methods and that's a problem for a manager with his personality, he constantly needs to feel supported by both the ownership and the locker room.

Giorgio Chiellini did something like that in an interview. He said that after training at Juve under Allegri's method he was tired but that after training whilst on international duty using Conte's training method he was dead! He did praise the merits of Conte's method though but maybe it can be tiresome (or deadsome) for players working for him season in season out.

 

[Stevencc]

Mourinho - "One thing, for sure, that you will never read about me is that I have murdered another human being. Never".

 

[Bilo]

Mourinho - "One thing, for sure, that you will never read about me is that I have murdered another human being. Never".

One has to draw a line somewhere. But you can't box yourself in can you. Words to live by from the next in line of sacked United managers.

 

[Luc@]

Do you think a coach with these characteristics needs to change team often?

He needs to change team every time that his relationship with players or the ownership begins to crack.

 

[Ale18]

at this point i wonder..

if Chelsea wins cup and achieve the top 4, Conte's job how will be judged?

 

[SALTIRE]

at this point i wonder..

if Chelsea wins cup and achieve the top 4, Conte's job how will be judged?

He won't get top four, Liverpool are closing the door on that, Spurs are too strong and Utd too far ahead. He's out the door come what may, though he'll land on his feet and get a top job somewhere, maybe Milan.

 

[Pagnell]

He won't get top four, Liverpool are closing the door on that, Spurs are too strong and Utd too far ahead. He's out the door come what may, though he'll land on his feet and get a top job somewhere, maybe Milan.

With Kane possibly out until the tail end of the season and with Chelsea playing them this weekend in a 6 pointer, I wouldn't rule them out just yet. If Conte's mob beat Spurs on Sunday they're right back in it. It would also have the additional bonus of wiping out Tottenham's game in hand advantage if we beat Palace.

 

[SALTIRE]

With Kane possibly out until the tail end of the season and with Chelsea playing them this weekend in a 6 pointer, I wouldn't rule them out just yet. If Conte's mob beat Spurs on Sunday they're right back in it. It would also have the additional bonus of wiping out Tottenham's game in hand advantage if we beat Palace.

Yep fair point I forgot they play each other this week. I expect Spurs to win even without Kane though, but you are right, if Chelsea can beat Spurs, there is a chance they could still do it.

 

[Pagnell]

I wonder if Abramovich's reticence for spending money in recent seasons will extend to managers? You have to say that ordinarily on past evidence Conte would get the boot after this season's showing.

 

[Leewilson]

I wonder if Abramovich's reticence for spending money in recent seasons will extend to managers? You have to say that ordinarily on past evidence Conte would get the boot after this season's showing.

Ins
Rudiger £29 million
Bakayako £40 million
Morata £58 million
Zappacosta £23 million
Drinkwater £35 million
Barkley £15 million
Palmieri £17.5 million
Giroud £18 million
= £235.5 million

Outs
Begovic £10 million
Cuadrado £17.5 million
Atsu £6.2 million
Troare £8 million
Ake £20 million
Chalobah £5 million
Matic £40 million
Costa £50 million (roughly)
=£156.7 million

Chelsea blew the season in the window. Sold Matic and Costa and bought two replacements who aren't as good. The rest of the transfers in are fairly uninspiring. With the exception of Rudiger, you can't really say any of them have strengthened Chelsea in any position.

How much of this is Conte's fault? That is the question.

 

[The Paranoid Pineapple]

It's worth noting that three of those Ins were January signings, one of which was a replacement for an outgoing loanee and the other two a belated attempt to deal with a lack of squad depth. It means that in the summer we spent very little (net - indeed, I think we're only about 4th or 5th in this regard over the past 5 yrs; everyone's way behind the two Manchester clubs on this score).

It's unfortunate we've found ourselves in this situation again because it was always a distinct possibility that we might struggle in this manner. Last year we did very well but even then it was apparent that we lacked depth and would struggle to compete on four fronts (we didn't have any European distractions then, remember). The season before Conte's appointment should have have provided a cautionary tale of the dangers of resting on your laurels as champions but the board failed to take heed and we seem to have resumed this rather familiar boom-bust cycle.

So I blame the board in large part but the reality is probably a bit more complex. I like Conte but I'm inclined to question his tactical flexibility and game management - is he too reticent, too cautious, too often? He rarely seems prepared to make the sort of changes that might alter the course of a game. The players have to shoulder some of the burden too. Many of this group have been found wanting before. There are talented players there but I think there's perhaps been a bit of a leadership void since some of the old stalwarts (Cech, Terry, Lampard, Drogba) departed and I'm not sure that all of these guys are up for the fight when the chips are down. There are also too many glaring deficiencies within the first XI - Morata looks a downgrade compared to Costa, Moses isn't really a good enough RWB, Kante needs a better midfield partner, attacking options are too limited. And Bakayoko's been a disaster, frankly.

I think the club really need to assess where they want to go. Increasingly, big PL teams are willing to invest £££ to make improvements to their first XI. I think the club might have seen a crazy market and, conscious of the fact that there's a new stadium to finance, are behaving conservatively; dipping in when they they see a reasonable deal and signing players with high resale value. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with such an approach but there's got to be some recognition of the risks involved because if you're not constantly improving your side you will get overhauled and if you can't demonstrate your ambitions you might find that your best players no longer want to be there. As such, it's actually a bit of a high stakes gamble. Throughout this season, Conte's cut an increasingly frustrated figure. It could be just good PR on his part but he gives the impression of a man unhappy with his lot who hasn't been able to secue the targets he's wanted (you look at some of the players we've been linked with and who's actually walked through the door and can draw your own conclusions). The club need to have a good think about some of this stuff because if Conte goes and it's otherwise business as usual then his replacement won't, in all likelihood, last very long.

 

[Stevencc]

A new revolving door manager policy at Chelsea but this time down to the manager's frustration at the transfer policy rather than the owner's ruthlessness?

I can get behind that.

 

[SALTIRE]

Posted by Willian, who has deliberately blocked out Conte. Classy, looks like Utd will get their man.

 

[Bilo]

What the fuck is wrong with that group of players

 

[The Paranoid Pineapple]

I imagine the players already know he's off so wouldn't necessarily read very much into it.

Really petulant and unprofessional though.

 

[Pagnell]

Pathetic. I'm starting to regret being happy about United losing now, which speaks volumes about how much contempt I hold that bunch of c***s at Chelsea in.

 

[The Paranoid Pineapple]

Because a player did something silly on social media? Ok, bit weird but whatever.