Chelsea will have a new manager next season and this time, they are going the Italian way with Antonio Conte taking over from Guus Hiddink. The Dutch manager was brought in to replace Jose Mourinho until the end of the season but even he has not been able to give Chelsea much to cheer about this season.
Conte does have a great resume and he would be taking over the side after the completion of Euro 2016. The Italian has been extremely successful during his time with Juventus where he won three Serie A titles and that could come in handy when he tries to take Chelsea to the top of the Premier League.
There are a few issues with Conte taking over, though, he hasn’t been doing all that well outside Italy and we look at some of the cons of having the 46-year-old as manager.
Not great in Europe
Juventus were brilliant in Serie A as they won three league titles in a row under Conte. They even won the other cup competitions rather easily but it was in Europe that they didn’t really do much right.
Conte might be a legend for bringing the good old days back in Turin with the Serie A title but the Champions League or even the Europa League have brought a lot of success to the Old Lady.
In one Champions League season, Juventus finished third in their group and couldn’t even make it to the Europa League final when it was being played in their stadium. Chelsea might not worry about their European chances now but later on, it could be a major hurdle.
Stubborn with tactics
One of the biggest criticisms of Conte is his love of the 3-5-2 formation. He used it to great effect at Juventus and won a lot in Italy but he could not replicate this formation in Europe as he was caught out time and time again.
There have been a lot of talk about him not looking at another team and preparing his side to nullify the opposition. This could be a big problem in the Premier League as teams are better and they too make changes and adapt depending on who they face.
Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp have been able to change the way they play depending on the opposition and Conte’s stubbornness could be a major problem for the Blues.
Another Mourinho in the making?
There are two Mourinho’s people know, the one that won the league title and the one who was paranoid about enemies that were out to get him. Conte is exactly that, he will win more than he will lose but he also has this belief that there are forces which are out to get him and his team.
His time at Juventus was filled with issues regarding the Italian FA and the enemies his side were making due to their success can lead to more problems for Chelsea than they can deal with next season.