Antonio Conte: The new 'Special One' at Stamford Bridge

(Baonghean.vn) -In the history of The Blues, “The Special One” Mourinho will be an indispensable part. However, with what coach Antonio Conte is doing at Stamford Bridge, the Italian strategist is on the way to becoming the new “Special One” of the London team.

Conte revived a dilapidated Chelsea after the 2015-2016 season.

Over the past decade, with the support of Russian billionaire Abramovich, The Blues have emerged as a new force and broken the monopoly of traditional teams such as Manchester United and Arsenal. Specifically, during this time, they brought home 4 Premier League titles in 2005, 2006, 2010 and 2015.

In addition, the Stamford Bridge team also brought home countless other big and small titles, especially the 2011-2012 Champion League championship, which partly satisfied billionaire Abramovich's thirst for titles in the most prestigious arena in the continent.

However, after the championship that “Special One” Mourinho won in his second return to the old roof, The Blues had to go through a stormy 2016 Premier League season. They became the defending champion with a terrible start when they continuously received humiliating defeats against teams that they had previously won like cutting bamboo. Subsequent changes on the coaching bench only helped the team at Stamford Bridge finish in 10th place overall.

Entering this season, with the ambition to bring the London team back to its golden age, Antonio Conte was chosen to replace coach Guus Hiddink. This is considered a reasonable choice in the context of teams directly competing for the championship title such as Manchester United and Manchester City having brought in strategists who have affirmed their brands.

Right from the start of his job, Antonio Conte faced many difficulties when The Blues were in ruins after a disappointing season. Besides, experts and fans were also skeptical about the former Juventus coach's ability to succeed, when the Premier League has always been known as the most competitive arena on the planet.

In fact, Antonio also encountered initial difficulties when facing the difficult problem named Diego Costa. The stressful life in England made the Spanish striker want to return to his "old home" Atletico Madrid after 2 seasons of dedication to Chelsea. In response to his student's rebellious attitude, Antonio Conte clearly showed his firmness and gentleness, ensuring Costa a suitable position and at the same time asking the 27-year-old striker to respect the signed contract.

After a disappointing season, Diego Costa has found his form as a "killer" in attack.

Under Conte's guidance, Diego Costa has been reborn with each match. The number 19 player moves tirelessly, actively competes and constantly improves his finishing ability to bring joy to the fans. More specifically, the former Atletico Madrid striker has erased the image of a player who plays like a hooligan on the field to focus on scoring. After 16 rounds, Costa has scored 12 goals, including many direct goals that brought 3 points to the blue half of London.

Besides solving the Costa problem, the Italian strategist also awakened a series of players who were considered the culprits for The Blues' decline last season, including Matic, Pedro, Fabregas, Hazard, and Cahill, to regain their original form. Among them, Hazard, Pedro, and Matic are becoming important pieces in the operation of the 3-4-3 tactical formation that is making waves in the Premier League.

In addition to reviving the form of the veterans, the Italian strategist also brought in N'golo Kante - the player who was rated as the best defensive midfielder last season in the Premier League and a Victor Moses who played extremely well on the right wing. Looking at Victor Moses' current form, few people expected that the Nigerian player had to wander through many teams on loan before officially returning to Chelsea.

With Conte, Chelsea has a coach who is both individualistic, strong, and full of "weirdness".

One highlight that cannot be ignored is that after the 0-3 defeat in round 6 of the Premier League, Antonio Conte decided to abandon the 4-2-3-1 formation to build a 3-4-3 tactical system, a formation that seemed to have no place in the Premier League. With new vitality, Chelsea won 10 consecutive matches, officially surpassing the record of 9 consecutive wins that "The Special One" Mourinho set in his first season leading The Blues. More importantly, this style of play has operated all the necessary qualities of a champion: solid defense, timely closing, diverse attacks and always changing depending on each opponent.

The season is entering a fateful turning point, coach Antonio Conte's team is shedding the heavy, weak image of the past, Chelsea plays with excitement and enthusiasm as if they have never experienced a disappointing season. It will be too early to confirm that The Blues will be crowned Premier League champions this season. However, what Antonio Conte has done and is doing at Chelsea, this Italian strategist deserves to be the new "Special One" at Stamford Bridge.

Cao Anh