Tag Archives: CONTE

Conte Shocked Mourinho Never Gave Moses A Chance

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Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has slammed his predecessors for snubbing Super Eagles star Victor Moses in the past.

Moses spent the last three seasons out on loan away from Chelsea while Jose Mourinho was in charge of the Blues, but he was handed a lifeline by Conte who took charge at Stamford Bridge this summer.

Conte whose side have chalked up six straight wins in the English Premier League scoring 17 goals without conceding a goal told Italian tabloid Gazzetta Dello Sport that the 25-year-old Nigerian international possesses qualities that should not be overlooked.

“I could see his potential from the first days of the summer training camp,” Conte said.

“Moses has important qualities: technique, physical strength, the ability to cover seventy meters of the pitch.

“I find it incredible that someone like him has been underestimated.”

Moses, a regular starter for the Blues since the 3-4-3 formation was adopted by Conte in October, has scored thrice in 13 appearances in all competitions this season.

Conte Responds To Mourinho Outburst

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Antonio Conte felt he did nothing wrong by encouraging the Chelsea fans to cheer the players in the closing stages of the 4-0 win over Manchester United.

Conte Geered the Stamford Bridge faithful up after N’Golo Kante struck Chelsea’s fourth and was involved in an exchange of words with a seemingly irked Mourinho following the conclusion of the match.

The Italian claimed his antics were an attempt to try and drown out the noise from the incessant United faithful in the away end, suggesting his players deserved the full backing of the stadium.

“I was listening to the support of Manchester United, always supporting their team and after a great win like this I was asking my fans to do a clap for the players for the performance,” he told Sky Sports.

“I think this is normal. All the players deserve this clap

“When there is a private conversation it is right to remain private, I have great respect for Jose, he is a great manager and he won a lot here,” Conte also told the BBC.

Chelsea took just 30 seconds to move ahead through Pedro, with Gary Cahill and Eden Hazard adding to the tally before Kante’s goal.

After losing at home to Liverpool and away at Arsenal in recent weeks, Conte was delighted to see his team come out on top in a big match.

“I am pleased with a great performance. We started very well, with high intensity and moving the ball quickly, creating chances to score the goal. I see the commitment of the players in training every day and they deserve this,” he said.

“We are improving; we must continue to work, because only through the work we can improve. We know that we have a long way to go, but I’m satisfied.

“It is very important after the Arsenal and Liverpool defeats, it was important to understand our mission. We must look to Wednesday against West Ham [in the EFL Cup] and prepare for that.”

‘Playing For Nigeria Cost Mikel Chelsea Place’- Dimeji Laval

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Dimeji Lawal says he is amazed by some of the criticism Nigeria captain Mikel Obi has faced as Chelsea manager Antonio Conte continues to overlook him.

Mikel, who is Chelsea’s second longest serving player after John Terry, has not featured for the Premier League giants since the beginning of the season.

The 29-year-old midfielder guided the national Under-23 team to a memorable bronze at the Rio Olympic Games on August 20 – and returned the following month to lead the Super Eagles to a 1-0 victory over Tanzania in a Gabon 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Uyo.

Mikel starred in the Eagles’ 2-1 defeat of Zambia’s Chipolopolo in their opening Russia 2018 World Cup Group B qualifier at Levy Mwanawasa Stadium in Ndola on October 9.

Despite the 2012 UEFA Champions League winner’s impressive performance against Zambia, Italian manager Conte still kept him out the lineup for Saturday’s match against Leicester City, which the Blues won 3-0. The development has seen Mikel receiving more criticism back home.

And former Nigeria winger Dimeji says football fans and pundits in Nigeria should sympathise with the player rather than criticising him.

The Saudi ’89 FIFA Under-20 World Cup silver medallist claims Mikel is paying the price for abandoning Chelsea’s preseason for the Olympics.

According to the FIFA-licensed players’ agent, Conte is not happy that the South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations winner opted to represent Nigeria at Rio 2016.

The Olympics is not on the FIFA international calendar so clubs are not required to release players for the tournament – and many big European clubs, including Chelsea, did everything to prevent their star players going to the Games.

Mikel had admitted opting to miss the preseason was a tough choice, especially as former Italy coach Conte was new to the London side.

“It is difficult to leave Chelsea at this time,” Mikel told the Evening Standard. “But I explained to the club why I wanted to go and I thank them for their understanding and allowing me to be a part of this.”

And following the arrival of Frenchman N’Golo Kante from Premier League champions Leicester City, some the British media had predicted that Mikel had potentially sacrificed his place in the team after opting to represent his country at Rio 2016.

Former Belgium-based attacker Dimeji saluted Mikel for his commitment to the national team, saying he deserved some respect for his contribution to the game.

“Playing at the Olympics affected Mikel at Chelsea,” the former Spain-based player said on Sunday.

“I remember that Conte was always praising Mikel until he decided to play at the Olympics.

“I’m not surprised that Conte has decided not to feature him in any of his games – he probably feels let down by the player.”

Dimeji added, “It’s unfortunate that some Nigerians are criticising him. Some are saying he should be dropped from the Eagles because he’s not playing for his club.

“They are wrong. Mikel played a key role in the victory over Zambia. In the Eagles, every move begins with him.

“The young players, particularly (Alex) Iwobi and (Kelechi) Iheanacho look up to him. He deserves respect.”

Official: Antonio Conte Confirmed As New Chelsea Manager

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The Italy coach will remain in charge of the Azzurri at Euro 2016, after which he will take the reins at Stamford Bridge having beaten off plenty of competition to land the job

Antonio Conte is the new manager of Chelsea, the club have confirmed, with the Italy boss ending months of speculation by finally penning terms in London on Monday.

The 46-year-old has put pen to paper on an THREE-year contract but will not take charge of the club until after the European Championship in France this summer, where he is looking to guide the Azzurri to only their second continental win.

Chelsea have been looking for a long-term successor to Jose Mourinho since the Portuguese was sacked in December, with popular interim boss Guus Hiddink unwilling to take on the job permanently.

The Blues are still unbeaten in the Premier League since the Dutchman took over – their 15-game streak is the longest undefeated run in the division this season – and still have a slim chance of qualifying for Europe.

The lack of Champions League football has not put Conte off, however, with the Italian beating off competition from the likes of Copa America-winning coach Jorge Sampaoli to land the Stamford Bridge job.

Conte arrives in England with a hugely impressive CV, having won the Scudetto in three consecutive seasons with Juventus between 2011 and 2014 and helping lay the foundations for the Old Lady’s recent dominance of Italian football.

He fared less well in the cup competitions, however, losing the Coppa Italia final to Napoli and failing to progress further than the quarter-finals of the Champions League – even crashing out at the group stage in his final season at the club.

After replacing Cesare Prandelli as Italy manager two years ago, Conte oversaw an unbeaten qualification campaign for Euro 2016, though he will step down to take charge of Chelsea after this summer’s tournament.