Antonio Conte seems to know what he is doing.
It's been over a year since he's been the manager of Chelsea football club, another high profile club seemingly in turmoil at the time. But he dug deep, backed his methods, earned the trust of the dressing room and staff, and managed to pull the rabbit out of the hat.
In fact, the transition had been so smooth that towards the second half of the season almost every football lover was convinced that Chelsea would be crowned champions by the end of the season barring some divine intervention.
In spite of everything happening around him, with his club deeming fit to sell their defensive rock Nemanja Matic to direct rivals Manchester United, Diego Costa going on a strike, Conte seems as calm as ever.
As reported by the Guardian, when asked if the claims made by Costa about him being treated like a criminal had any truth in it, he gave off a hearty laugh in the press conference, something that had half the journalists present in splits. That's what Conte brings to the table. Reassurance. He knows what he's doing.
According to the Telegraph, asked about the current situation at the club, he said: "I can tell you one thing is very important for me," said Conte. "Sometimes you can win, but you are preparing yourself for disruption. Sometimes you don't win, but you are preparing yourself to be better."
"Last season we did a fantastic season because there wasn't this foundation or basis. We started to build this foundation and we won, so it means we built something. But now it's not enough, so we have to improve, to extend this basis, work together with new players."
Stability and patience seem to be his mantra at the moment.
"Spurs started to work with Pochettino for three years, this is the fourth year and Pocehttino has had the possibility to work for three years with the same players and have the possibility every season to improve his foundations," Conte said.
Asked if, like Pochettino, he will need four years at Chelsea to shape the squad he wants, the 48-year-old added: "Yeah, maybe. To arrive and try to fight for the Champions League, to try to fight to be the best in the world, you need time."
