5 reasons why Antonio Conte may be appointed Italy manager

It's fair to say that Antonio Conte's second season as Chelsea manager hasn't gone quite as well as his first. They surprisingly ran away with the EPL title, finishing with a comfortable seven-point gap between nearest challengers Spurs. Conte had crafted a difficult team to break down in his favored 3-5-2 formation, but with enough flair from players like Eden Hazard and Diego Costa to entertain as well.

They weren't necessarily the favourites to retain their league title coming into this season but few expected Chelsea to struggle as much as they have: Chelsea currently lie back in fifth place, a massive 28 points behind clear leaders Manchester City; with just seven games remaining, Chelsea will do well to make it into fourth spot and secure the last Champions League place for next season.

Unsurprisingly given the rocky nature of the Chelsea managerial job, Conte has had to deal with speculation regarding his position for months now and he's often looked like a beaten man. Even if he does want to stay in England and battle, Roman Abramovich might not afford him that luxury. Luckily for Conte, however, the Italy national team are looking for a new manager, and no one might be better placed to take on the role, given Conte's previous experience as coach of his country.

Italy remarkably failed to qualify for this summer's World Cup in Russia, putting an end to Gian Piero Ventura' sorry tenure, and they'll have to pick the right man to steer them through the crucial upcoming qualification campaign for Euro 2020. This article will consider 5 reasons why Conte would be the perfect candidate to return as Italy manager.

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#1 Previous Italy record

Conte has represented his country both as a player and a coach

Conte, of course, came to Chelsea after ending his time in charge of Italy and he could be proud of his achievements as a manager. He replaced Cesare Prandelli following the 2014 World Cup and guided them easily to qualification for the 2016 Euros undefeated. He continued using his favored formations from his time at Juventus - 3-5-2 and 4-3-3 - but many fans were sceptical of his tactics and there was little trust in Conte and his team going into the tournament.

The squad was one of Italy's weakest in many years, giving the manager even more to worry about. Midfield maestro Andrea Pirlo had retired and the starting striker Graziano Pelle was effective but limited technically. Conte likes to operate against pressure and Italy performed above expectations during the group phase: pre-tournament favourites Belgium were counter-attacked effectively and beaten 2-0, Sweden were then defeated with a late goal, before a 1-0 loss to Ireland in a meaningless fixture.

It was the first time Italy had topped a group in 10 years and Conte drew praise for his tactical maturity and the defensive steel of his side. Italy were even more impressive in the last-16 against fancied Spain, with Conte's defenders putting in a colossal display to see out a 2-0 victory. Their tournament run was unfortunately ended in the next round by old foes Germany, but only on penalties in a tense match.

Despite his success, Conte wished to return to the intensity of club management, but it's always hard to ignore the call of one's country. After the frustrations of this campaign, a return to Italy might be beneficial to Conte. Much of the squad remains from his previous tenure and, given how well he did to get the best out of such a limited squad, there's no reason he couldn't find similar success again.

#2 Squad connections

Conte knows the Juventus players well from his previous time there

As was previously mentioned, Conte has significant knowledge of the current players on offer for national selection. It was his Juventus defensive line that have formed the backbone of the Italy team for years now: Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli, and Leonardo Bonucci have an incredible understanding together, and Conte understands them too.

Barzagli has now retired from international duty but Buffon and Chiellini were called up for the most recent friendlies despite stating they had retired previously, and the idea of linking up with their former manager for one last tournament campaign may prove quite tempting.

Bonucci, then, will become the main stalwart of the defense, a player Conte always enjoyed a strong relationship with. Aside from the Juventus men, Conte currently coaches Davide Zappacosta at Chelsea, a good candidate to be Italy's number one right-back.

Players like Matteo De Sciglio, Antonio Candreva, and Ciro Immobile remain from his Euro 2016 squad, but are in far better form than they were back then, particularly Lazio's free-scoring Immobile. After the unfortunate campaign under Ventura, who had no connection with his players, getting Conte might just be the smart move.

#3 Lack of other options

Valverde is one of the managers blocking Conte's route to another top outfit

While the Italian is obviously a world-class coach, one of the finest of his generation, the Italy job may be the best on offer to him from next season. Many of the truly elite European clubs have settled managers currently: Ernesto Valverde has surprised many with his comfort in the Barcelona manager's role, Massimiliano Allegri has perhaps taken Juventus to a higher level than even Conte managed, and Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho will surely continue their battle in charge of Manchester City and Manchester United respectively.

Perhaps the two most obvious destinations for Conte would be PSG and Real Madrid but they might prove unsuitable for differing reasons. Conte is a manager who relishes the weekly contests of club football but this is something that won't be presented to him in French football, where the only challenge comes from the Champions League competition.

After a terrible La Liga campaign, Zinedine Zidane has Madrid looking very dangerous in this season's Champions League, and if he is to do well (even win it for the third season in a row), the Frenchman will almost certainly be granted another season at the helm.

Conte is a man who likes to be careful with his choices and he won't rush into the first club job offered to him; trying to turn around his beloved country in the meantime might suit him like it did in 2014 after departing Juventus.

#4 Current Italy struggles

Ventura cuts a sorry figure as Italy fail to qualify for the World Cup

Ventura wasn't a popular choice with Italian fans when he was selected to take over from Conte in 2016, and his popularity never increased. He was a limited coach who had spent his entire career at mid-level Italian clubs, never finding great success anywhere. It must be noted that Ventura has a good overall win record with the national team - an admirable win percentage of 56.25% - but the most damning fact is that he was in charge when Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1958.

For a proud footballing nation, this was a disaster. Italy comfortably finished second in an easy group where the only difficult opponents were Spain but it was in the play-off phase that they collapsed. Drawn against an ageing Sweden side, a 1-0 away loss meant it was set up for Italy to overturn this deficit at the San Siro in the second leg but they could only muster a scoreless draw.

Ventura stubbornly refused to resign but he was inevitably sacked immediately. Spirit and belief in Italy is perhaps at an all-time low, meaning the next manager has to be the right choice to resurrect the country.

Ventura never found a rapport with his players but there is talent there: AC Milan's Gianluigi Donnarumma is ready to replace his idol Buffon as number one goalkeeper; Lorenzo Insigne and Simone Zaza are in excellent form for Napoli and Valencia and should be able to transfer this into the national fixtures.

#5 Current Chelsea situation

Dele Alli celebrates scoring in front of angry Chelsea fans

Enough has been said about Chelsea's misfortunes under Conte this season but it was all compounded in their frustrating home loss to rivals Spurs last weekend. In a tight affair, it was Spurs' players who rose to the challenge and asserted superiority, winning 3-1, their first victory at Stamford Bridge in over 20 years. The defeat put Spurs ahead by eight points and they'll be favourites to secure that coveted fourth place.

Consistency has been a massive issue this season, with good wins often being followed by shock defeats. Perhaps the extra toll of the Champions League has hurt Conte's squad, a distraction they didn't have last season.

That competition is the one Abramovich craves over all others and Conte did well to steer his team through difficult group including Atletico Madrid and Roma, but they were easily overcome by Barcelona in the knockout stage: after a strong 1-1 draw at home, the Spanish giants blew them away in the return leg, Lionel Messi scoring twice. Chelsea, simply, weren't at the same level as their opponents.

Abramovich isn't an owner who allows any margin for failure - as excellent managers like Mourinho and Carlo Ancelotti have found out - and he'll certainly not tolerate Chelsea missing out on Champions League qualification for next season. If he is fired, it will be tough on Conte, for Chelsea haven't endured a truly terrible season; it just hasn't been good enough for his austere Russian owner.