Updated at 21.20
ANTONIO CONTE WAS confirmed as the new manager of Chelsea earlier today, with the current Italy boss set to take over from Guus Hiddink at the London club after this summer’s Euros.
Conte is a well-known figure in Italy, but Premier League fans may not be too familiar with the 46-year-old coach.
With that in mind, here’s what you know you need to know about Chelsea’s new man…
- Usually playing as a defensive midfielder, Conte was one of the most successful players in the history of Juventus. He made almost 300 appearances for the Turin-based club, captaining the side and wining five Serie A titles and one Champions League trophy. He was also runner-up in the latter competition three times — 1997, 1998 and 2003.
- Conte earned 20 Italy caps as a player, appearing at the 94 World Cup as well as Euro 2000.
- Prior to joining Juventus, he spent six years at Lecce, before future Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni brought him to Juve.
- Conte was known for scoring the odd spectacular goal, as the video below illustrates.
- After ending his playing career with Juventus in 2004, Conte took little time to become a coach. After a period spent as assistant manager at Siena, he was appointed manager of Serie B side Arezzo, but was sacked after just three months in the role in October 2006. Nevertheless, with the club still battling relegation, he was reinstated into the position the following March, guiding to an improvement in form but still overseeing their relegation on the final day of the season.
- After finishing up with Arezzo, Conte took over as manager of Serie B side Bari and helped rejuvenate the relegation-threatened team in the 2007-08 season. The following season, Conte further enhanced his reputation as a manager, as he guided Bari to the Serie B title.
- A disagreement with the club’s board saw Conte leave Bari and despite rumours linking him with the Juventus job, he eventually became manager of Atalanta. It was another troubled coaching spell, and after narrowly avoiding an altercation with the club’s ultra supporters, Conte resigned after just half a season in charge with the team in 19th place.
- The following season, Conte took over at Siena, after they had been relegated from Serie A. The coach proceeded to guide them to promotion back to Italy’s top flight at the first attempt, consolidating his excellent coaching reputation in the process.
- Following his success with Siena, it was confirmed that Conte would replace Luigi Delneri in the Juventus job in 2011. The former playing legend was an instant success as a manager, leading the club to a 28-match unbeaten run and securing the league title in his first season there. The Italian side also became the first club to go the whole season unbeaten in the league since Serie A was expanded to 20 teams. He would ultimately win Serie A in three consecutive seasons with the club. In the Champions League, however, they were less successful, never going further than the quarter-finals under Conte.
- After stepping down as Juve coach, Conte took the Italy manager’s job. He replaced Cesare Prandelli after the 2014 World Cup, helping them to qualify comfortably for Euro 2016.
- Conte’s favourite formation is 3-5-2, which he employed with great success at Juve, as Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, and Andrea Barzagli formed a formidable backline that gained a reputation for rarely conceding. However, he has also been known to use both the 4-4-2 and 4-2-4 formations over the course of his managerial career.
- Andrea Pirlo, who played under Conte at Juve, is one of his biggest admirers. In the midfield star’s autobiography, he wrote: “He needed only one speech, with many simple words, to conquer both me and Juventus. He had fire running through his veins and he moved like a viper. ‘This squad, dear boys, is coming off two consecutive seventh-place finishes. It’s crazy. It’s shocking. I am not here for this, so it’s time to stop being so crap… When Conte speaks, his words assault you. They crash through the doors of your mind. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve said: ‘Hell, Conte said something really spot-on again today.”
- For all his acclaim, Conte has also been the subject of controversy in the past. He was accused of failing to report attempted match-fixing during his time at Siena, though the manager has denied these claims. He was, however, banned from the touchline for four months for his alleged part in the scandal.
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