Antonio Conte has given Chelsea fans something they haven’t had since the successful early years of Roman Abramovic’s ownership. A charismatic manager, a host of top quality footballers and a bouncing atmosphere at every home game.
After a rocky start in the Premier League, Conte quickly adapted his style of play to suit the needs of English football and Chelsea have since gone from strength to strength. The Blues now seem as unstoppable as they were at the height of Jose Mourinho’s term at Chelsea.
It is easy to compare the this Chelsea outfit to the side of 2003-06, which had the dynamic duo of Arjen Robben and Damien Duff either side of the powerful and relentless Didier Drogba through the middle. I would argue that in Eden Hazard, Conte has a better version of Robben at his helm. Faster and more direct on the ball, Hazard has been the stand-out player alongside the Makelele-esque N’Golo Kante. Not to forget the Spanish Drogba in Diego Costa playing alone upfront. Not only do they have personnel similarities on the pitch, the Jose of 2003 had the swagger of Conte and received the love in the media that Conte is now enjoying.
The beauty for Chelsea fans is that the funds will remain almost endless but they also have a manager who can cope without star players and without a big budget.
Conte’s achievement in taking an injury-prone Italy who were also facing a transition phase to the quarter finals of the Euros in France, only to lose on penalties to Germany, showed how flexible he is in terms of changing his team around. It can almost be compared to the way Mourinho won the Champions League with FC Porto. A small but growing club that took everyone by surprise and won the Champions League with a squad that was relatively unknown.
As clubs such as Manchester City are finding their feet this season along with Manchester United and to some extent Liverpool, Chelsea has taken full advantage despite several pundits ruling them out of a title chase at the start of the season due to the fact Conte had never managed in the PL.
The Blues look set to win the title in the former Juventus manager’s first season and as his record at previous clubs suggests, there is every chance Chelsea will now go on to dominate the league for some time. Known for his tactical genius and smart signings, it seems this season hasn’t been about Conte learning how to manage in the Premier League but more about the league trying to work out how to stop Conte and Chelsea.
by Nubaid Haroon YouTube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCtMg-fWm7awR41vM1GhVOkA Twitter: twitter.com/rambofyi
The post Football: Conte’s New Chelsea Era appeared first on Felix Magazine.
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