News Beat
‘Stupid people’ – Antonio Conte responds to Diego Costa’s bitter ‘he doesn’t have sex at home’ rant
TWO major trophies, Premier League records, a summer disappearing act and a multi-million pound pay-off.
Antonio Conte‘s two years at Chelsea were far from uneventful and his reunion with the Blues tonight offers yet another reminder of what this club used to be about.
Travelling fans, whether at home or in Europe, have always sung the name of former owner Roman Abramovich.
But since Enzo Maresca‘s sacking, the heat has turned up on the hierarchy. Banners calling for the end of owners BlueCo, as well as minor protests, have sprung up.
Chelsea fans can abide chaos at Stamford Bridge, they have been used to it for more than two decades under this ownership or the last.
But just as their earlier visit from Jose Mourinho‘s Benfica brought some uncomfortable nostalgia, their trip to Conte’s Napoli shows what success at Chelsea really means and provides new man Liam Rosenior with an idea what is needed to win the affection of fans.
The other side of the bargain for the chaos delivered by Abramovich and his string of managers was consistent, big time success.
Premier League titles, domestic trophies and Champions League triumphs.
The chaos remains under BlueCo, but so far the silverware does not stack up.
Conte’s time brought plenty of points of friction. He vanished for ten days after winning the title in his first season – incommunicado to owners who assumed he was about to flee for Inter Milan.
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Top scorer Diego Costa was sidelined and forced out after being told by text message that he was not in Conte’s plans.
Their row has been reignited over the past week with Costa slamming Conte as a miserable manager and sensationally claiming lack of sex was to blame.
On John Obi Mikel‘s podcast last week Costa said: “Conte’s OK as a professional coach.
“But as a person, he’s the worst thing you can have on a daily basis. It’s very bad.
“He’s a person who doesn’t trust others, he thinks he knows everything. You don’t enjoy training with him.
“He’s always angry, always with a long face. He probably doesn’t have sex at home because he’s a very bitter guy.”
“It’s a shame because I was very happy in Chelsea, but I did not want to cause a problem at the club.
“If I came back, the players wanted me to come back but nobody liked him. That’s why he didn’t last long.”
Never afraid of locking horns, Conte hit back yesterday saying: “I know very well that around football, there are intelligent people, clever people and stupid people, so I don’t lose my time to spend my time to read intelligent people or stupid people.
“Diego Costa played with me one season, so I can talk about the football.
“We won together the league and he wanted to go away three times the same season. I know this. After Chelsea, I don’t know what happened to him.”
There were constant clashes with those above – sound familiar? – over transfer policy and long spells where communication broke down.
Players grew frustrated, fans ended up questioning his famous back-three system. He further soured his reputation with supporters when ending up at London rivals Tottenham.
Though the way he torched his way out of that job would have won some affection back and, ultimately, success earns you support.
Even at the lowest point of Conte’s short reign, an FA Cup trophy was plonked on the table by the Italian.
Conte remains Chelsea’s last manager to win the Premier League and a domestic Cup despite leaving almost eight years ago.
Antonio Conte record at Chelsea
Here is a look at Antonio Conte’s record during his spell as manager of Chelsea…
TIME IN CHARGE
RECORD
- Games: 106
- Wins: 70
- Draws: 15
- Losses: 21
- Goals scored: 218
- Goals conceded: 109
HONOURS
- Premier League X1
- FA Cup X1
He will be remembered less fondly by those who walked the corridors of power at Stamford Bridge, and their experience with the fiery manager may have informed the current ownership’s shift to head coaches over managers.
Sacked with a year to go on his contract in West London, Conte ended up suing the club for wrongful dismissal – winning – and walking away with an incredible £26.5million pay-off.
That sort of financial hit and waste would not now be countenanced by BlueCo, who have gained more wisdom with their near four years in English football.
But at what cost the decision to move away from big-ticket coaches is yet to be determined.
Mauricio Pochettino was one of that mould, though his association with Tottenham meant Stamford Bridge would never truly take to the Argentine.
They fanbase struggled to love Maresca and Rosenior has a long way to go in order to earn the sort of respect and backing Thomes Tuchel, Chelsea’s last popular manager, could count on.
While there has been plenty of turmoil, Conte feels the Blues are building “something important” under their American owners.
Conte said: “First of all, I like to say thanks to Mr. Abramovich. Him and Marina [Granovskaia] gave me the chance to have my first experience abroad.”
It was a great experience. We’re talking about a fantastic club with a great vision, a winning mentality and the same desire to win.
“I saw they made a great investment, they have signed some important players, young players.”
Every coach wants to sign young players but if young players are 60, 70, 80, or over £100million like Caicedo and Fernandez, it’s not for all clubs, especially in Italy. They are doing very well and are doing something important for the future.”
They are also a force Napoli may struggle to stop – with a host of injuries including two former Chelsea players in Kevin de Bruyne and Billy Gilmour.
There remains a cohort of Premier League cast-offs still fit and shining, however, with Ramus Hojlund impressing and Scott McTominay continuing to thrive.
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