Much has been said and written about Antonio Conte since he was named as Chelsea’s future manager with regards to how he will shape his new team next season.
Will his love for the 3-5-2, which saw his Juventus side win three consecutive Serie A titles, continue? Or will he continue the 4-2-3-1 adopted by Chelsea and so many others in recent seasons?
Whilst there are many other questions alongside these yet to be answered, Conte revealed earlier this week how he does not believe in counter-attacking football, according to Get West London.
Speaking ahead of Italy’s first Euro 2016 game against Belgium, the first glimpse Blues fans will have of their new manager since the announcement, Conte said:
I do everything except counter-attacks. I do not play on the counter. I never train counter-attacks. It is not my concept of football. When we have the ball, we have our ideas. When we lose the ball, we try to be tight, press the opposition and try to win it back as soon as possible.
Despite admitting that his Italy side for this summer does have players who can play on the counter-attack, as do Chelsea in Willian, Eden Hazard and Pedro to name a few, Conte remained adamant that he would not employ that tactic.
Counter-attacks are when you sit back and then propel yourself forward at pace. We’ve [Italy have] got players who can do that like Ciro Immobile, Simone Zaza and others, but in my idea of football we want to play the game and use the ball. If we lose possession, we have to be aggressive and win it back in their half, as that’ll make it easier for us to close on their goal.
Conte will take the reigns at Stamford Bridge following this summer’s European Championships in France.
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