4 qualities Antonio Conte can bring to Real Madrid

Rumour has it that Real Madrid will soon dismiss Julen Lopetegui and replace him with Antonio Conte, who is currently without a club.

Lopetegui had been clinging onto his job after a string of poor results against teams that Madrid would normally expect to beat.

Last weekend’s Clasico was billed as his last chance to save himself. Unfortunately, a Messi-less Barcelona exploited the weaknesses in Madrid’s defence and ran out 5-1 winners thanks to a hat-trick from Luis Suarez and goals from Philippe Coutinho and Arturo Vidal.

While Madrid rallied in the opening exchanges of the second half, Lopetegui’s all-out approach proved to be the side’s undoing.

Should he be dismissed, Antonio Conte looks set to replace him. Conte is without a club after leaving Chelsea in the summer. He left the Premier League having won the title in 2016/17 and may have considered himself unfortunate to lose his job.

The Madrid job will be a tough one, but here are four things he can bring to the table.

#1. Defensive solidity

Conte believes in having a solid defence more than an all in attack

It’d be unfair to label Conte as a defensive coach. However, he’s a coach who expects his side to be solid at the back and is someone who isn’t afraid to shut up shop and frustrate the opposition if he needs to. He leans closer to pragmatism than he does to Lopetegui’s brand of idealism.

Conte is famous for playing a 3-4-3 and has had great success with the formation at Juventus and Chelsea. Madrid’s squad may not be built with that formation in mind, but one can be sure Conte will find a way to get it to work.

In the meantime, his priority will be to improve Madrid’s leaking backline. Madrid have been too vulnerable to counter attacks under Lopetegui and it has cost them points. As unpopular as it might be with the Madrid faithful, Conte would take measures to ensure this doesn’t remain a weakness during the remainder of the season.

#2. Hard running

One of the defining features of Zinedine Zidane’s Madrid was that they worked incredibly hard, especially in the games that mattered. For what his side may have lacked in control and organisation, they made up for with hard running and battling spirit.

There were several games where they struggled, yet came out on the winning side thanks to a late goal.

Lopetegui’s Madrid have lacked these qualities. For whatever reason, the Spaniard has been unable to cajole his players into doing the hard yards.

It started out promisingly enough, with the players buying into a high-pressing style. That, though, vanished after a few games. It was as if the side became complacent.

Conte may have more success with these players. He gained a reputation for pushing his players incredibly hard during pre-season training so that they’d have the fitness to work hard in every game.

If he can get the Madrid players onside, we could see an increase in work rate.

#3. Aggressive use of wing backs

Conte deployed Moses in a much-advanced position in his Chelsea days

Should Conte play a back three, he’ll likely deploy his wing-backs very aggressively.

A prominent feature of his Chelsea side was the high positioning of Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso on either flank. Moses, a converted winger, would look to dribble at players, while Alonso sought to make late runs into the penalty area to get on the end of crosses.

It so happens that Madrid’s best performer at the moment is Marcelo. The Brazilian has played well despite the team’s poor performances.

However, in giving Marcelo the licence to go forward and do what he does best, Lopetegui has left his side vulnerable down the left flank.

In Conte’s back three system, this might not be as much of an issue. Marcelo would be allowed to play as he likes, while there’d be a better defensive cover.

On the other side, Conte would have Alvaro Odriozola and Dani Carvajal to choose from. Beyond them, Lucas Vazquez has been deployed at right-back before and could fit in nicely as a wing-back.

#4. An outspoken personality

Conte’s Chelsea tenure ended in rather acrimonious circumstances. Of all the issues the Italian had at the club, a lack of transfers was by far the most prominent.

We know this as Conte was never afraid to talk about it during press conferences and post-match interviews. Whenever his side struggled, he would make a point of not having enough depth in his squad. He wasn’t at all impressed with Chelsea’s transfer business that season.

Madrid have had their own transfer struggles. Cristiano Ronaldo has yet to be adequately replaced, while the signings they did make have yet to find a place in the first team.

Lopetegui hasn’t complained. As a new coach, it’s possible that he didn’t feel he was in a position to push hard for new players.

Conte won’t have such issues. Should Madrid not equip him with the right players, he’ll let everyone know – even if it puts his job in danger. It’d be risky, but it’s perhaps something the club needs to prevent complacency setting in any further.

Edited by Sagnik Mallick