Conte, message to AC Milan and United: "I want a club who have lost sight of their own history so I can make them win again"
The manager’s words to The Athletic, with several pointers about the future.
Antonio Conte has opened up to The Athletic. The former Juventus, Inter and Napoli manager discussed his past, present and future, touching on a number of topics, starting with Italy:
ON THE 1994 WORLD CUP - "Do you know that I won a silver medal at the World Cup? People remember that Brazil won the final, not that Italy lost it on penalties. An Italy side with Roby Baggio and Franco Baresi. If we had won that match, I would be recognised as a world champion."
ON EURO 2000 - "At Euro 2000 we lost the final against France because of a golden goal. Who remembers it? It is annoying, but it is the truth. People do not remember who came second. At Juventus we won the Champions League on penalties against Ajax, but I lost three other finals.
ON DEFEATS - "That is why, often, when I speak to my players, when it comes down to it, I show a very strong competitive edge and try to pass it on to them. Because I know. I have won a lot, but I have also lost a lot. Really a lot. And when you lose... and this is something I want my players to understand very well, because I have lived it first-hand... if you lose a World Cup or Champions League final and then go on holiday, you might think there will be a next time. But there is not always a next time. This is the last one."
ON CHELSEA - "Nobody would have thought mine would be the last title? That is the problem. That is why hard work is important. Winning is not easy, it requires commitment. Some people think success falls from the sky and lands in your lap. But you have to go out there and take it. Sitting there and talking about it does not make it happen. That was a Premier League title we won as underdogs. We had not made major signings. We had brought in David Luiz, Marcos Alonso and N'Golo Kanté: the club asked me ten times whether I was sure about him. He was not the typical Chelsea player: tall and handsome. He was the kind of lad who, when you saw him, was simply... well, when I saw him for the first time, I also had some doubts about his physicality, but I was convinced he was a top-level player."
ON ARSENAL AND FABREGAS - "There is a direction, there is a vision. Arteta sets the direction, just as Klopp and Guardiola did. In my view, the manager has to be at the centre, he has to be important. If you are not happy, you sack him. The manager has to provide the direction and the vision. Look at Como. Cesc has a say. PSG did not win the Champions League with Mbappé, Messi and Neymar. We are talking about the best players in the world. But you have to understand that there must be balance and cohesion."
ON THE FUTURE - "There are many clubs that have somehow lost sight of their history. I would like to go to one of these clubs to dust off that history and make it shine once again. Clubs where there is pressure, where, ultimately, you know full well that you do not go there just to take part, but to compete. Even that one per cent... but it has to be a one per cent that can become 70, 80 or even 100 per cent. It depends on how you communicate it. The manager is important, because he conveys that message, day after day.
ON THE PLAYERS - "Players always choose the easiest options. The ones that make them feel good and require less effort."
ON NAPOLI AND DE LAURENTIIS - "Napoli? It was a wonderful experience. It required a lot of energy and it was not easy. Having to face Inter, Juve and Milan is no walk in the park for Napoli, Roma or Lazio. So I used up a lot of energy. Now I am in a phase where I am just keeping an eye on the situation. In calm periods, when I am not working, the good thing is that I can sit down and watch matches, study new approaches and be even calmer and clearer-headed as I try to adapt football's developments to my ideas. De Laurentiis said that last year without injuries we would have won the title again? I do not agree. Inter deserved to win. They are a great team and they were coming off a Champions League final. They had also strengthened."
ON ENGLAND AND THE MARKET - "Today in England they use bazookas, while everywhere else they are still using pistols. But we also have to be careful about how the money is spent. That is why we were talking earlier about making the right assessments, about having a vision, because you can have the money, but you have to spend it wisely".
