VERY few men can claim to consistently have an immediate impact upon the teams they coach, but Antonio Conte has undeniably transformed each side he has led and is repeating that once again at Inter. The Milanese club have struggled over the past decade, winning only a single Coppa Italia since Jose Mourinho’s departure in 2010 after the Portuguese boss had secured a treble that included both the Serie A title and a Champions League triumph.
In the years since, the Nerazzurri have been mired in mid-table mediocrity, hamstrung not only by UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations but also their own ineptitude, a string of bad decisions hindering any chance of progress. That all changed when Steven Zhang became Chairman in October 2018, the 27-year-old swiftly making moves that would help catapult Inter back to the forefront of Italian football.
Off the pitch he has helped make the entire club more professional and modern, while his appointment of Beppe Marotta as the new CEO for Sport has simultaneously transformed their fortunes on the field. Gone is the unwise spending on players with inflated reputations and even larger egos, the former Juventus official bringing the same rational thinking he used to build the Bianconeri into the all-conquering machine they have been over the last eight seasons.
I told you all that Juventus hired the wrong coach in Sarri. They should have hired Antonio Conte, one of their own Tifossi and club legend. What has Sarri won besides the UEFA trophy Hazard won for him ? Juventus cannot defend. They cannot get Ronaldo the ball. Inter champions pic.twitter.com/NDjXCmqhId
— zengreenyoda (@zengreenyoda) December 22, 2019
Arriving just two months after Zhang took control, Marotta was forced to wait until this past summer to truly implant his vision on the black-and-blue half of San Siro, starting with the removal of Coach Luciano Spalletti. The Tuscan had helped return Inter to the Champions League, but his petty and divisive nature had splinted the squad, players at odds with each other rather than pulling together to achieve their goals.
Conte, who worked with Marotta in Turin, was installed as his replacement and their first order of business was to rid Inter of any player who would not adhere to the strict professionalism demanded under this new regime. It was no surprise to see Mauro Icardi and Radja Nainggolan quickly shipped out, joined by team-mates João Mário, Ivan Perisic and João Miranda who had also been influential in those dressing room spats.
Diego Godin could not be more different, the former Atletico Madrid skipper bringing experience, veteran leadership and a hard-nosed playing style that dovetails perfectly with Conte’s approach to the game. The same is true of midfielders Stefano Sensi and Nicolo Barella, a talented, hardworking and energetic pair of young Italians who have quickly understood what the Coach expects of them.
Diego Godin on signing for Inter: "It was explained to me during negotiations that Inter’s objective is to win things, My dream is another Champions League Final." pic.twitter.com/8nacCelk5u
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) July 27, 2019
In attack, Conte finally got his wish to coach Romelu Lukaku after coveting the Belgian forward during his time at both Juve and Chelsea. They are perfect for each other, the boss quickly bringing the best from his new striker who cannot speak highly enough about the man yelling at him from the sidelines.
"The guy can make a team," Lukaku told ESPN’s Bruce Schoenfeld back in September. "It's already like the guys have been there for many, many years together, even the ones who just arrived. It's the strangest thing.”
Except it isn’t. Inter go into the Winter Break sitting level on points with a Juve side who finished 21 points above them last season, the Nerazzurri making the same giant strides forward that Conte took in Turin, with the Italian national team and at Stamford Bridge. Leaving nothing to chance and obsessing over every detail in maniacal fashion, he is an unrelenting task master who never allows his players to give less than 100%.
It is no accident that Lukaku has already reached 12 goals this term, just two fewer than he managed in the entire 2018/19 campaign, shrugging off the malaise that had undoubtedly engulfed him at Old Trafford. But the Belgian’s return to form would not have been possible without the sensational breakout season Lautaro Martinez – who has hit the net 13 times in all competitions – is enjoying alongside him and the Argentina international has been quick to admit the impact Conte has had upon his play.
Romelu Lukaku giving a penalty to 17-year-old Sebastiano Esposito so he could score his first goal in Serie A and celebrate with his mother …. If it's not soccer what could it be.!?#ESPNUK pic.twitter.com/AVs806j5MC
— Source Garland (@sourcegarland) December 24, 2019
“His training sessions are very tough, but it’s essential when you play five games in two weeks,” the 22-year-old told La Repubblica earlier this month. “We got to know each other very quickly, I appreciate his passion for football. Before the match at Camp Nou against Barcelona, he told me one sentence that made my game explode and I will always be grateful. They were precious words that I keep to myself and that are only for me.”
That kind of inspiration has long been a hallmark of his leadership, Martinez’s goal away to Barcelona being merely the latest example of a player taking his game to new heights thanks to Conte’s calculated words.
It remains to be seen if that will be enough to halt Juve’s stunning run of eight consecutive league titles, but Lukaku, Martinez and Inter supporters everywhere only need to look at the Coach’s track record to realise the title is a distinct possibility. Antonio Conte has done it before.
