3 reasons why Real Madrid should not consider Antonio Conte as their next manager

After Zinedine Zidane shocked the football world with an unexpected resignation as manager of Real Madrid last week just five days after leading the Spanish giants to an unprecedented third consecutive Champions League title, names that could replace the Frenchman have begun to circulate.

The odds favourite remains Mauricio Pochettino, but the Argentine tactician recently signed a contract extension at Tottenham while Max Allegri is still content with being the manager of Juventus. Club legend, Guti has also impressed with the U19s this season and is among the favourites to warm his butt-cheeks on the hot seat.

However, Chelsea boss, Antonio Conte has emerged as the leading candidate but the 13-time European champions should be wary of appointing the former Italian manager. Conte is a man that is always publicly critical of the board when things are not going his way and for a traditional club like Real Madrid where the club is always bigger than the manager, there is already a basis for rancour.

Conte won the FA Cup defeating Manchester United which technically makes him one of the managers who have won a silverware in every season he has managed. Although, his overall performance with the Blues was nothing short of terrible. Poor decision making in the transfer was one of the major shortcomings last season at Stamford Bridge

Here are 3 other reasons I feel he’s not a good fit for Los Blancos.

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#1 Uninspiring style of play

Madrid are a club that expect champagne football at all times and against any opposition. Antonio Conte, despite being a serial winner is a tactically rigid manager who likes his players following every detail of his tactics. He is also an avid proponent of the three-at-the-back system, which at the moment, doesn’t look like the right fit for a number of first-team players at the club.

While his football is effective, it is not the most eye-catching to watch. His first season in England saw Chelsea play some attacking football, but in the out-gone season, the Blues played a very defensive tactic in most matches, which was evident in the FA Cup Final victory over Manchester United. The tactics he used last season were ridiculous and naive.

After the departure of Nemanja Matic, Conte asked Tiemoue Bakayoko to play the role of a defensive midfielder, which he can't because he is a box-to-box midfielder. The double-pivot with Cesc Fabregas and N'Golo Kante also didn't work out as they were usually caught on counters.

Conte dropped the three at back and shifted to a classic 4-3-3 just before the Christmas. After the arrival of Olivier Giroud in January, he experimented with something really weird with playing Eden Hazard as a false nine which also turned out to be a disaster against Barcelona in the Champions League.

."When you leave the pitch you have the impression that you've ran, but that you haven't played a game of football. That's a pity." Eden Hazard said in the press after a one-nil loss to Man City in which he was deployed as a false nine by Conte.

Zinedine Zidane was tactically astute and he knew how to make connections with his players and how to manage them, which brings me to my second point

#2 Poor man management skill

Conte's feud with Diego Costa proves that he is very weak when it comes to HR management.

For a club like Real Madrid, a manager cannot afford to be distant from his players. It has served as a downfall for many a manager at the club, where keeping the squad happy is very important. It served Zidane well, as he built a great rapport with his players, even those that were not regular starters. Conte, on the other hand, is a man that is said to be purely professional and isn’t close to his players.

This approach is not plausible at Madrid, as the manager is seen as someone that is the link between the board and players. Prolific players like Sergio Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo and Marcelo will do everything to turn the dressing room against him, or leave the club, if Conte is appointed. Both will leave the Whites in a deeply problematic situation.

On many occasions, Conte benched both Olivier Giroud and Alvaro Morata, playing Eden Hazard as a false nine like he did versus Barca. The former Juventus gaffer has the propensity to fall out with certain players that question and undermine his philosophy, which happened with David Luiz and Diego Costa.

#3 Lack of European pedigree

Conte's domestic records with Chelsea and Juventus are top-notch. The same cannot be said for Europe.

While Antonio Conte is a league expert, his records in Europe are not reflective of a manager of his ilk. For a club that takes pride in winning the Champions League for fun, Conte might not be their man. His best finish in the tournament was a quarterfinal exit at the hands of Bayern Munich in 12/13 while managing Juventus, which ended in a 4-0 drubbing by the eventual champions.

Last season, Chelsea succumbed to a 4-1 aggregate defeat at the hands of Barcelona in the Round of 16. While it is not expected that Real Madrid wins the Champions League next year, the minimum expectation is that they reach the semifinals.

In short, if Fiorentino Perez decides to appoint Conte as Zidane's heir, it is going to cause a catastrophe in Madrid. This marriage is destined to fail.