Rome, 5 Oct. (LaPresse) – “I’ve won a lot, but I’ve also lost a lot. That’s why, very often, when I speak to my players, I have such a fierce competitive drive and I try to pass it on to them. If you lose a World Cup final or a Champions League final and then go on holiday, you might think there’ll be another chance. But there isn’t always a next time. This is it.” So said former Napoli manager Antonio Conte in an exclusive interview with ‘The Athletic’, in which he also revealed he would be prepared to take on a team mid-season: “If it’s worth it, yes,” he replies, but under certain conditions: “There are many clubs that have lost sight of their history a little. I’d like to go to one of these clubs to dust off that history and make it shine once again. Clubs where there’s pressure, where, ultimately, you know full well that you’re not just there to take part, but to win.” Conte is keen to return to doing what he knows best: instilling confidence: “I know full well that only one team can win each year, but I must carry in my heart — and instil in the hearts of the people, my players and my directors — that spark, that hope that makes you say: we can win.” Another of the fundamental principles of his football remains a shared vision with the club’s management: “In my view, the manager must be at the centre; he must be important. If you’re not happy, you sack him. The manager must provide the direction and the vision. He has his own philosophy of play. You can’t have two different visions — the club on one side and the manager on the other. If these two visions align and you manage to find the right balance, then you move forward.”
Football, Conte: “Coaching a team in the running? Yes, if there’s pressure and a desire for a revival”
Rome, 5 Oct. (LaPresse) – “I’ve won a lot, but I’ve also lost a lot. That’s why, very often, when I speak to my players, I have such a fierce competitive drive and I try to pass it on to them. If you lose a World Cup final or a Champions League final and then go on holiday, you might think there’ll be another chance. But there isn’t always a next time. This is it.” So said former Napoli manager Antonio Conte in an exclusive interview with ‘The Athletic’, in which he also revealed he would be prepared to take on a team mid-season: “If it’s worth it, yes,” he replies, but under certain conditions: “There are many clubs that have lost sight of their history a little. I’d like to go to one of these clubs to dust off that history and make it shine once again. Clubs where there’s pressure, where, ultimately, you know full well that you’re not just there to take part, but to win.” Conte is keen to return to doing what he knows best: instilling confidence: “I know full well that only one team can win each year, but I must carry in my heart — and instil in the hearts of the people, my players and my directors — that spark, that hope that makes you say: we can win.” Another of the fundamental principles of his football remains a shared vision with the club’s management: “In my view, the manager must be at the centre; he must be important. If you’re not happy, you sack him. The manager must provide the direction and the vision. He has his own philosophy of play. You can’t have two different visions — the club on one side and the manager on the other. If these two visions align and you manage to find the right balance, then you move forward.”