Chelsea’s under fire manager Antonio Conte has officially denied any interest in taking over Italy from former manager Gian Piero Ventura.
The 48-year-old has explicitly denied any interest in the empty Italian head coach seat and has maintained that he is completely committed to Chelsea. Antonio Conte has been under fire off-late from his board, the fans and critics alike and with Ventura relieved of his duties, many expect the former Italian head coach to retake his position.
Before taking over Chelsea and leading them to the Premier League title, Antonio Conte was in charge of Italy for nearly two years. During his tenure with the Azzurri, the 48-year-old led the side to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016, and former Italian striker Alessandro Del Piero believes that Conte should return to his post.
But despite that, the Blues boss said in an interview “[For now] I am very focused on doing my best for Chelsea, and my only focus now is to try to create a good structure at Chelsea. [I want to] create a good basis with this team, we won last season but we know very well there is a lot of work to do, and I am very focused on Chelsea and totally committed to the club.
“Now Manchester City is playing very well. If you want to try to catch them, you have to win every game. If you want to try to fight for the title, it’s very important to win and not to drop points.”
A loss to Sweden after two legs saw the Italians miss out on a place in the 2018 World Cup in Russia and Gian Piero Ventura was subsequently sacked by the Italian Football Federation. Conte further added “My feeling is the same as any Italian person. I am very sad. This is a big step for our football movement after 60 years. Football is very important in Italy, but you have to try together to find the right solution.”
Author’s take:
While Antonio Conte’s Chelsea contract does end only in 2019, the Blues boss does find himself with a myriad of options if he does decide to leave Stamford Bridge. However, a 1-0 win against Manchester United before the international break showed Conte’s determination and fighting spirit to stay as the Chelsea boss
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