1BSPORTS 1B Sports June 15th In a program at Sky Sports, Antonio Conte opened his heart and talked about the climaxes and troughs in his coaching career, especially the experience of leading Naples to the Serie A title and the difficult years he spent at Tottenham Hotspur.
Conte admitted that the year at Tottenham was very difficult: “The year at Tottenham was difficult. When I took over in November, they ranked ninth in the league and we surpassed Arsenal to qualify for the Champions League, and you all know the hostile relationship between the two clubs. For them, qualifying for the Champions League is like winning the Premier League. After the final round, the locker room celebrated entering the Champions League. I called my team together and said to them, ‘We don’t celebrate this level of celebration. We don’t celebrate this kind of thing. What we are used to celebrating is something else. Okay , It’s a great achievement, but at the same time we have to understand what kind of celebration it is. ‘”
“The following year, I talked to some players and they wanted us to continue our journey at Tottenham, but I only signed a one-and-a-half contract to understand what I will face. Something happened the next year, and Gianpiero Venterone died of leukemia within fifteen days, which was a huge blow to my emotional and psychological aspects, which was very difficult. Then Gianluca Viali also left us, and I met him in the restaurant with my wife a month ago. I saw him very calm and in good condition, But during that dinner, I felt something was wrong. When someone enjoyed it, you could notice that he drank, ate… he left after a month.”
These experiences of losing relatives and friends deeply influenced Conte: “The things about Mihailovic have also had an impact. A series of pain made me rethink some priorities. My family is in Italy, far away from me, and I live in a hotel. My wife always makes sacrifices for me. So I asked myself: Sacrifice family and friends for this job, and know that one day you might suddenly face such a tragedy, even yourself Is it worth it? It changed some of my priorities. Later I had a problem myself and had to undergo urgent gallbladder surgery, and I almost suffered from pancreatitis. Anyway, that period made me reflect on my life priorities. “
Recalling the starting point of my coaching career, Conte shared his determination: “When I finished my career, I did an interview that might seem conceited but wasn’t. I said: If I can’t coach Juventus or reach a high level within three years, I’d be no coach. I’ve sacrificed too much as a player.A statement may sound exaggerated because it is tough, but it also shows my determination to achieve my goal. Either I reach some level or the sacrifice is not worth it. You desire and ambitious to achieve certain goals, which determines the level you can achieve. ”
Talking about how to become the head coach of Juventus, Conte told a dramatic story: “In Siena, I achieved my goal of upgrading, and the head coach of Juventus at that time was Del Neri. I was on my way home and received a call from Baldini. Two weeks ago, he and Adani came to Siena to see me lead the team training. We don’t have a very deep relationship, but we have established a very good tacit understanding. Silvio Baldini greeted me and said, ‘Do you want to coach Juventus? ’I replied: ‘What does this matter? You have to do it like Guardiola. ’ He added: ‘Go to Agnelli and talk to him. If you go, you will become the head coach of Juventus. ’I hung up the phone, and my first thought was: Is this person crazy? Of course it means good. What advice did he give me? I think. But on the way home, he did leave something in my mind, and I asked myself: How can I talk to Agnelli? The person I thought of was Dr. Gilaudo, who I called at the end of the season. He told me that Juventus had decided to remain as current coach Dernelli. I told him I just wanted to greet Andrea Agnelli. At the same time, I led Siena to Serie A. ”
”One day, my wife and I were having supper and saw Jilaoudo calling me. The other end of the phone was Agnelli himself, and he wanted to see me. After the game against Novara, I returned to Turin and went to his house. We greeted each other and he asked me if I wanted to buy a Juventus player, so I immediately understood that I was not in his future plans. But we probably talked for five hours. Later I found out that his wife asked him who I was and he replied: ‘The future head coach of Juventus. ’ Anyway… When I left, he said to me, ‘You have to talk to Giuseppe Marotta. ’ So during those five hours, I touched the right heartstrings and seized the right time. I know what I need to bring back and what Juventus needs at the time. So, if I could start those three years of journey at Juventus, it was all because of Baldini. Without his phone number, I would never recommend myself, and maybe Juventus wouldn’t have thought of a Serie A novice coach. Those three years were incredible. We won the first Serie A title with an unbeaten record, although we are more optimistic about AC Milan, which has a great champion like Ibrahimovic. We only lost to Naples in the Italian Cup final. 102 points is an incredible achievement. ”
Conte revealed the details about Pirlo joining Juventus, “His agent Tulio Tinti called me and he knew I wanted to play 4-2-4 formations, just like I did when I was in Barrie and Siena. He told me that Andrea Pirlo was a free agent and asked me if he could adapt to my system. I told him that on paper, he might be a little bit hard, but we are talking about a player who is so unique, he must come anyway. In fact, our first game had Pirlo and Marcisio partnered with midfielder, Vidal sat on the bench and he came off the bench and scored in the second half. This made me think. A good coach is like a tailor and must tailor the best clothes. Therefore, that year we finally adopted a 3-5-2 formation according to different needs. Pirlo has a little bit of a hard time in the double-middle system, but when he has two people around him, he can realize his full potential. Pirlo can see places that others cannot see. He can decide where, how, and when the ball will be passed. For him, Chiellini and Bonucci, after trying various systems, we finally changed to 3-5-2, which became the formation that wrote Juventus’ history. ”