"Conte has a crazy mentality," former Juventus striker Fernando Llorente previously explained to the Gazzetta.
"You must take only one step, which is relatively simple: follow me." Changing direction is not a polite request, it's an order, a moral obligation. "The last few seasons here have hurt everyone, so, we have to do something to rediscover ourselves, to get back to being Juve. On the first day of pre-season training after he had taken over at Juventus in 2011, he summoned the squad to the gym to introduce himself and told them: "It's time to stop being crap. "I admit it." He does not accept anything less than 100 per cent commitment to the cause his cause. And if the hair is fake, the devil is very real!"Ĭonte, though, has never hidden the fact that he demands a lot of his players. "I'm a hammer," he once told Gazzetta dello Sport. As we Italians say, he has a devil for every hair. Because he often enters clubs saddled with problem players and he does not suffer fools gladly.Īs Andrea Pirlo wrote in his autobiography, a Conte dressing room is not for the faint of heart: "His words assault you. Is it always a seamless transition? No, never. This is what Conte does what he has always done. In this second season at Inter, he ended an era of unprecedented success at Juventus – nine consecutive Scudetti – that he himself had started. The Nerazzurri had not won a Serie A title since 2010 and, before his arrival, they were a club lacking direction and discipline. He provided both. He won a Premier League title at the end of his first year in England with a Chelsea team had had finished 10th the season before.
He inherited a Juventus team coming off back-to-back seventh-placed finishes in Serie A and led them to three successive titles. However, it is a complete myth that he has repeatedly left a club in tatters. On the contrary, Conte has consistently left his successors an incredibly solid foundation after overseeing remarkable rebuilding jobs. Yes, Mourinho clashed with the United directors over transfer strategy shortly before his departure – and Conte has a history of falling out with his bosses over player recruitment. It is alleged that Conte would simply end up creating as many problems as Mourinho. This comparison, though, is utterly ridiculous. However, one of their main arguments against making a managerial change at this juncture is that Conte, Solskjaer's obvious replacement, is "not a fit for United", as Gary Neville put it on Sky Sports last week. Solskjaer's tactical failings are well-documented, given they have been long been clear and obvious.Įven his staunchest supporters – and he has many former team-mates in the British press unwilling to admit his failings – are now conceding that he needs to inspire a rapid improvement in United's form if he is to hold on to his job. This is a simplistic and damaging narrative, as far as United's future prospects are concerned. However, there remains a seemingly commonly held dual-belief in the Old Trafford board room that the Norwegian might still be the right man for the job simply because he retains the support of Ferguson, while Conte is merely Mourinho Mark II. United, though, are no closer to ending their title drought. Remember, since Solskjaer took charge, just over £460 million ($630m) has been spent on 14 new players. United home games have become the hottest ticket in town in recent months, yet attendees are being treated to a farce, as the sight of Luke Shaw and Harry Maguire colliding with one another last weekend underlined. Nostalgia may have felt like a breath of fresh air given the atmosphere left behind by Mourinho, but a once forward-thinking club now looks mired in the past. They do not hand out trophies to tribute acts, after all, especially ones as tired and cliched as Solskjaer's 'Spirit of 99' routine. What exactly has the 'United Way' done for the club over the past three years? United, though, have not lifted a league title since Sir Alex Ferguson was replaced as manager by David Moyes in the summer of 2013 Conte has won three, including one in England.Īnd besides, what exactly does the 'United Way' mean to the people currently calling the shots at Old Trafford? Is it having Solskjaer on the bench, Ryan Giggs in the VIP box and Cristiano Ronaldo up front? The idea seems to be that the 'United Way' is somehow better than Conte's.