Antonio Conte was always destined to become an elite European coach, according to one of his first managerial colleagues.
Conte’s first coaching job after retirement came at Siena in 2005, where he spent a year working as Luigi De Canio’s assistant.
De Canio recalled an anecdote today which convinced him the Inter boss was destined for great things in the dugout.
Asked whether he expected Inter to be performing so well this season, as quoted by FCInterNews.it, De Canio said: “I had zero doubts.
“Conte is a born coach, an animal who loves the training ground with an obsession for detail.
“Even back then (when he was my assistant) he had very clear ideas and his determination showed through.
“I’ll give you an example: he asked me once if he could shout and scream at the players during the game, since I was more calm on the sidelines.
“I immediately understood that his desire to get involved would take him a long way.
“Conte is a self-made coach who has built his career by winning the titles on the pitch, unlike Andrea Pirlo who has started at Juventus straightaway thanks to his glorious past as a player.”
De Canio, who most recently coached Serie C side Ternana in 2019 but had previous spells at Napoli and Genoa among others, also approved of the way Conte had handled Christian Eriksen following the Dane’s sudden upturn in form.
“Conte has shown his skills and his intellectual honesty,” De Canio argued.
“A coach takes certain measures after considering various aspects, he doesn’t just look at whether one is good or not.”
In conclusion De Canio looked ahead to Inter’s match away to Parma tonight and discussed the Nerazzurri’s Serie A title hopes.
“On paper, the Nerazzurri are favourites tonight, but football is good because the unthinkable often happens,” he added.
“I always thought this could be Inter’s year to win the Scudetto, all the more so now.”
Inter would go six points clear of their closest challengers AC Milan with victory at the Stadio Ennio Tardini.
