Inter coach Antonio Conte spoke about the season so far with Inter, the Champions League, his management style and more in an interview in today’s print edition of the French based magazine L’Equipe.
First, the 50-year-old Italian coach touched on what ‘defeat’ means to him.
“Pain. For a day or a day and a half, I don’t feel well at all, for me it’s like a mourning. Defeat must leave a trace in me, in my players, in the club I work for. I use my energy and strength to find remedies and improve the situation, also because victory can lead to a certain relaxation.”
Conte then spoke about his love for teaching and coaching even in his younger years.
“I loved to teach, if I hadn’t played or coached, I would have become a physical education teacher. I had also graduated from the University of Foggia, it was my plan B. But I also got it to make my parents happy as they always told me to put my studies before football.”
He revealed how much studying he’s done in order to make himself a better coach.
“I’ve read a lot of books on psychology, group management and motivation. Technical-tactical knowledge is not enough. You need to be a 360-degree coach. A coach has to deal with 50 people, each with a different brain, so each one has to be treated in the best way. I’m the boss, I have to take care of them. Several publishing houses have asked me to write management books, I would like to, but I have no time, I have too much work to do. I’ll do it soon, calmly.”
The former Juventus and Chelsea coach discussed important coaches in his playing career.
“You can also add Arrigo Sacchi with the national team, it was very important in my path. Like Dino Zoff, Eugenio Fascetti and Carlo Mazzone when I made my debut with Lecce. They taught me a lot about discipline, the use of the stick and the carrot. I was lucky, that’s for sure. They enriched me a lot. Trap for me is like a second father, it was as if it had my own protection. I arrived at Juve when I was 21 years old, alone, without him, I wouldn’t have stayed long in black and white. At the end of each training session, I did technical sessions with his deputy Sergio Brio. My first match with Juventus was a friendly match we lost against Monaco because of my mistake. I had misjudged Stefano Tacconi’s pass and Youssouf Fofana had intercepted it and then scored. The Gazzetta used the title – Conte’s Error in the Principality’, which would have killed more than one. The next day I was sad, but Trapattoni came to cheer me up.”
Conte spoke about his time coaching the Bianconeri.
“As a player, I went beyond my expectations. For the workforce, for the sacrifices, I have improved year after year. Suddenly I won everything in 13 years at Juventus and was vice-champion of Europe and the World with Italy. As a coach, it’s different. I had the feeling that I could do something important, I was much more confident. I knew my qualities, my ability to apply my ideas. There are university professors who are good at theory but do not manage to convey their passion. I make the passion for this sport breathe.”
He discussed the importance of having a leader on the pitch.
“Communication on the pitch is the first thing. For it to work, you need to have one or two players who know the good moments to press or take their time. That’s what I knew how to do, especially after I was 30. When your legs are worse, you use your brain. What you no longer do with your body is done with your head. I’d like to see players under the age of 30 who are able to assimilate this concept, but it’s getting harder and harder.”
He elaborated on why it’s getting harder.
“The generations of that time grew out of it, the road quickly made the young people mature, who were used to solving their problems by themselves. Today, they have smartphones, PlayStations, computers. And it’s the parents who solve the problems for them. The road teaches us, we used to climb trees, they would call us monkeys, we learned to jump two or three metres without hurting ourselves. I challenge anyone today to be able to climb a tree. You didn’t have a mother or father or someone who could save you. Worse, we would go home, and our fathers would give us the rest. That’s what’s missing today, the players are too used to waiting for the solution.”
The 50-year-old Italian coach explained why he always seems upset on the sidelines during a game.
“Competition is a battle, when you fight there is no reason to laugh or be happy, Mors tua, vita mea (Your death, my life). I’m focused on the fact that there has to be only one left, and I do everything I can to make it my team. I play to win, this can annoy, it puts pressure on many people not used to that would have trouble following me. It’s my way of being and it will take me to finish my career prematurely, because I live this job too intensely. I can smile when I have fewer responsibilities and fewer people to carry on my shoulders.”
Conte explained his method of coaching.
“Since I started working, I demand seriousness, respect for the rules, limits to give guidance. Afterwards, we’re all good when it comes to talking about rules, but how many have the strength and the desire to enforce them when the problems come? Many turn their eyes to avoid thoughts. That’s not who I am. You can be who you want, have a great career as a footballer, the player evaluates you, weighs you down in just two weeks and says that this is a great coach, this other is not, this is a mediocre one.”
He revealed why he likes using a 3-5-2 formation.
“It depends mainly on the players at my disposal. In Serie B I used to play with 4-2-4. I tried to use this system at Juve, but I quickly went to 3-5-2 or 3-3-4, depending on my interpretation. That approach was unique. My staff and I have always been the subject of studies. Before I got to Chelsea, in the Premier League a three-way defence was taboo, then the teams started using it. I also started with the 4-man defence but after losing 3-0 at home to Arsenal I decided to change because I had players who needed protection.”
He didn’t think a three-man defence was very radical.
“Absolutely not, at Chelsea I used a 3-4-2-1 with Eden Hazard, Willian or Pedro behind the tip and two axial midfielders. At Inter I have three, I adapt to the characteristics of my players to enhance their qualities and limit their defects.”
Conte elaborated on why he gives players advice on their sex lives.
“I was a footballer too. In times of competition, the relationship cannot last too long, you have to make as little effort as possible, thus putting yourself under your partner. And then you have to do it preferably with your partner, because that way you don’t have to provide an exceptional performance.”
The 50-year-old Italian explained why it’s helpful that he was a footballer before a coach.
“It allows me to get into the heads of my players, constructively, and know what they think. To understand when they have to stop, when they need a positive sentence or when they have to be pricked or must return to earth. Sometimes, a player who scores a brace feels his wings and could relax, of course, it happened to me. Thanks to my experience, I have to anticipate and reformat the player.”
The former Juventus and Chelsea coach discussed why he still takes care of his physical condition.
“You can’t profess healthy eating, physical care and then presenting yourself with 120 kilos of weight. You have to be credible in every second, it takes a long time to gain credibility and very little time to lose it.”
He disagreed with the idea that he only takes jobs at teams going through a rough time.
“No, I’m interested, I’d like to sit in a Formula One car and start in the pole position. In my third season at Juventus, I set a record of 102 points. I always push the car to the maximum, my story tells from the beginning that I don’t start as a favourite, in Bari I inherited a team from the relegation zone and I took it to Serie A, where I brought Siena back as soon as I got back. And Juve, Chelsea and the national team also came from delicate moments when I arrived. But I can assure you that I rejected some clubs because I thought it was not the right time.” (After the interview, Conte revealed that he said no to Paris Saint-Germain.)
Finally, Conte touched on how it felt to coach Inter after being a hero at their rivals, Juventus.
“I think I’m an honest and loyal person in every respect. I believe in work, effort, sacrifice. I don’t distort myself, I’m not a kiss-ass, I don’t get people sick playing the violin. I try to make myself appreciated for all this, but if you want to fire rather than make me a positive example… I got to where I am now thanks to my ass, and I don’t have to thank anyone but my parents. I’m a free spirit.”