Antonio Conte has revealed how he handled Chelsea players who took issue with his ‘tough’ training methods.
The 55-year-old has established himself as one of the world’s best managers having won four league titles with four different clubs – including his current side Napoli.
He is known for his meticulous preparation and uncompromising approach to physical training with his players.
And Conte has now opened up on the reason why he’s stubborn on his methods after accepting a request from John Terry in 2016.
‘One time, the Chelsea captain came to me to ask to slow down the pace (of training), to do fewer video sessions. I agreed, mainly out of respect to their culture, their different way of approaching football,’ Conte told Corriere della Sera.
‘When you’re in a different country, you have to be careful to not cause too much upset.
‘Well, we lost two games in a row and I risked being sacked,’ he continued.
‘Since then, I always think that if I have to ‘die’ as a result of the choices that have been made, I have to do it my way, and not in the hands of others. This is the way. ‘Trust the process’ as they say in England.
‘And when I think back to how tough training was, I smile. Zidane and Del Piero trained much harder. Today, we do about a third of what we used to do.
‘The work has to be linked to the results on the pitch. I’ve coached teams where after a little while, the players themselves began to identify dangerous situations. For me, that means that we’ve achieved the right result.’
Conte enjoyed remarkable success with Chelsea in his first campaign, briefly shaking up English football with a 3-4-3 formation that saw the Blues storm to the Premier League title.
His second season was blighted by squad disharmony and disagreements with the hierarchy, particularly over transfer targets and finances, though they did still win the FA Cup.
After departing Stamford Bridge, Conte took charge of Inter Milan and won the Scudetto in his first season in charge.
He then managed the Chelsea’s rivals Tottenham before returning to Italy last year to take charge of Napoli, who won their fourth Serie title last month.
