Chelsea’s 2015-16 season was disappointing, and they underperformed to a great extent especially for defending champions. The board decided to bring in Antonio Conte, who in his first season itself brought home the Premier League title.
As a player, Conte started off by playing for his local club Leece and later joined Juventus. Playing in the midfield position, he became one of the most decorated players for the Italian club. He captained the team and led it to glory, winning several titles like the UEFA Champions League and the Serie A.
As a member of the Italian national team he was a part of the squad that finished as the runners-up in the 1994 FIFA World Cup and UEFA Euro 2000.
Managerial Career
Conte started off his journey as a coach for the Tuscan side Arezzo which was having a disappointing season, he led the team to several wins, bringing a turnaround in form. As 2007 ended he took over Bari - the Serie B side. He continued his magic, brought a turnaround in the bad form saving them from relegation and placing them at the mid of the table.
His first major honor as a manager came in the following season where Bari were crowned the Serie B champions and promoted to the A league. In June 2009 the contract was mutually rescinded.
On 21 September 2009, he took over Atalanta. This time, Conte was struggling by November, despite having a good start. He was corned by the fans and several protests took place. After a loss to Napoli, things became very serious with respect to fans and Conte handed in his resignation. He then briefly managed Siena and led them to promotion to the Serie A.
Conte had publicly expressed his desire to coach the club where he became a legend - Juventus. He got this break on May 22, 2011. He led the team to win a domestic double and was awarded Trofeo Maestrelli, an award honoring the three best Italian coaches working in the professional league, the country's youth coaching system and outside Italy, respectively.
He guided Juve to Serie A glory in all three seasons as a manager, the last time with a staggering tally of a record 102 points. However, Conte resigned in July 2014 because of disappointing performances in the UEFA Champions League.
He then took the role of managing the Italian National team and suffered his first defeat after staying invincible for ten consecutive games. Conte announced his desire to leave the national side after Euro 2016 because he wanted to return to club football, and did so after leading Italy to the quarterfinals.
On 13 January 2017, Conte became the first manager in history to win three consecutive Manager of the Month awards (October, November, and December). He led Chelsea to a title with a record victory, winning 30 out of 38 games.
Tactics
While managing Juventus, Conte's innovative 3–5–2 formation featured wingbacks and two box-to-box midfielders in a three-man midfield. It gave more creative freedom to the newly acquired deep-lying playmaker Andrea Pirlo, who was the key to club’s success.
At times, Conte used a 5-3-2 featuring two wingbacks in order to implement a more defensive strategy. The club's strong and highly organized three-man back-line, predominantly composed of Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, and Andrea Barzagli, was regarded to have played a large part in the title triumph.
In England Conte’s managerial style has been compared to that of Sir Alex Ferguson, both on and off the field. He had gained the nickname “The Godfather” during his spell in Juventus because of how he motivated and encouraged talent. Players like Pirlo, Bonucci, and Buffon have publicly praised his ability to rally players and bring the magic out of them at most critical circumstances.
