When Antonio Conte arrived at Stamford Bridge last July, on the back of a good European Championships in charge of his native Italy, he inherited a squad full of ability but low on confidence.We know this year won’t be easy for us. If we think about the 10th position, it was a bad season for us. We all know that, but we must think about the present and work hard every day, week and month to achieve something important for us, the club and the fans. The supporters need to find a team who are ready to fight until the end to compete with others.
‘I hope we can surprise people, that there is a small flame flickering that can grow into a blazing inferno.’
When Antonio Conte arrived at Stamford Bridge last July, on the back of a good European Championships in charge of his native Italy, he inherited a squad full of ability but low on confidence.
Most had experienced the ups and downs of the two previous years: the fantastic title and League Cup-winning 2014/15 campaign, and then the disappointment that followed as we recorded our lowest points tally for a couple of decades.
The big question, then, was how they would respond to their new boss’s methods. This was a man who had galvanised Juventus – the club he represented for the majority of his impressive playing career – by winning three Serie A titles in a row and even going a whole campaign undefeated. They had finished seventh the season before Conte took over, and now, on the back of the foundations he laid, they will soon be competing in their second European Cup final in three years.
At Euro 2016, his Italy side reached the quarter-finals, only defeated on penalties by Germany. Conte’s tactical acumen and passion stood out in France, and the feeling was those qualities would stand him in good stead for a Premier League campaign that looked set to be the most competitive ever.
There were six realistic title contenders, plus reigning champions Leicester City and others who perhaps harboured hopes of repeating the Foxes’ astonishing triumph.
The bookmakers installed Conte’s Chelsea as fourth favourites before a ball was kicked. Not many in the media felt we could do it: the BBC, for example, asked 33 of their pundits and commentators to predict the top four. Most thought Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City or Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United would emerge on top. Three went for Chelsea (a tip of the hat, then, to Trevor Sinclair and Match of the Day commentators John Motson and Steve Wilson!).
‘We are pleased to have N’Golo with us. I think he is a player that doesn’t speak a lot but he does fight and it’s very important, a good guy, humble and with a great will to work.’
Pat Nevin, of this parish, explained in the same prediction page he didn’t think Chelsea would finish in a Champions League position unless a centre-back and left-back were acquired before the transfer window closed.
He got his wish. Marcos Alonso , a Spaniard with Premier League experience at Bolton and Sunderland, joined from Fiorentina, and then, thrillingly, cult hero David Luiz returned to west London after two years in Paris. Nevin had long been a huge fan of his.
Their arrivals followed on from a trio of acquisitions earlier in the summer: back-up keeper Eduardo , young Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi and, most crucially of all, N’Golo Kante from Leicester. The dynamic midfielder had been a revelation in his first year in England, the heartbeat of the team that so unexpectedly won the league. It was quite a coup.
‘When I was in Italy I liked to say the manager is like a tailor. You must build the best dress for the team. You have to respect the characteristics of the players and the talents of the players and then you decide.’
The next question was how Conte would set his team up. Three at the back had been his preference at Juve and then with the national team, but there was no sign of such a formation during pre-season when 4-2-3-1, 4-2-4 and 4-1-4-1 shapes were all sampled. It was with the last of those that the Blues lined up for the first game of the season, a Monday night home fixture with West Ham.
It materialised into as hard-fought a London derby as you might expect, set
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When Antonio Conte arrived at Stamford Bridge last July, on the back of a good European Championships in charge of his native Italy, he inherited a squad full of ability but low on confidence.We know this year won’t be easy for us. If we think about the 10th position, it was a bad season for us. We all know that, but we must think about the present and work hard every day, week and month to achieve something important for us, the club and the fans. The supporters need to find a team who are ready to fight until the end to compete with others.
‘I hope we can surprise people, that there is a small flame flickering that can grow into a blazing inferno.’
When Antonio Conte arrived at Stamford Bridge last July, on the back of a good European Championships in charge of his native Italy, he inherited a squad full of ability but low on confidence.
Most had experienced the ups and downs of the two previous years: the fantastic title and League Cup-winning 2014/15 campaign, and then the disappointment that followed as we recorded our lowest points tally for a couple of decades.
The big question, then, was how they would respond to their new boss’s methods. This was a man who had galvanised Juventus – the club he represented for the majority of his impressive playing career – by winning three Serie A titles in a row and even going a whole campaign undefeated. They had finished seventh the season before Conte took over, and now, on the back of the foundations he laid, they will soon be competing in their second European Cup final in three years.
At Euro 2016, his Italy side reached the quarter-finals, only defeated on penalties by Germany. Conte’s tactical acumen and passion stood out in France, and the feeling was those qualities would stand him in good stead for a Premier League campaign that looked set to be the most competitive ever.
There were six realistic title contenders, plus reigning champions Leicester City and others who perhaps harboured hopes of repeating the Foxes’ astonishing triumph.
The bookmakers installed Conte’s Chelsea as fourth favourites before a ball was kicked. Not many in the media felt we could do it: the BBC, for example, asked 33 of their pundits and commentators to predict the top four. Most thought Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City or Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United would emerge on top. Three went for Chelsea (a tip of the hat, then, to Trevor Sinclair and Match of the Day commentators John Motson and Steve Wilson!).
‘We are pleased to have N’Golo with us. I think he is a player that doesn’t speak a lot but he does fight and it’s very important, a good guy, humble and with a great will to work.’
Pat Nevin, of this parish, explained in the same prediction page he didn’t think Chelsea would finish in a Champions League position unless a centre-back and left-back were acquired before the transfer window closed.
He got his wish. Marcos Alonso , a Spaniard with Premier League experience at Bolton and Sunderland, joined from Fiorentina, and then, thrillingly, cult hero David Luiz returned to west London after two years in Paris. Nevin had long been a huge fan of his.
Their arrivals followed on from a trio of acquisitions earlier in the summer: back-up keeper Eduardo , young Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi and, most crucially of all, N’Golo Kante from Leicester. The dynamic midfielder had been a revelation in his first year in England, the heartbeat of the team that so unexpectedly won the league. It was quite a coup.
‘When I was in Italy I liked to say the manager is like a tailor. You must build the best dress for the team. You have to respect the characteristics of the players and the talents of the players and then you decide.’
The next question was how Conte would set his team up. Three at the back had been his preference at Juve and then with the national team, but there was no sign of such a formation during pre-season when 4-2-3-1, 4-2-4 and 4-1-4-1 shapes were all sampled. It was with the last of those that the Blues lined up for the first game of the season, a Monday night home fixture with West Ham.
It materialised into as hard-fought a London derby as you might expect, set
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