Mark Worrall - The Italian Job: A Chelsea Thriller Starring Antonio Conte: Part 1

The Italian Job

A Chelsea Thriller Starring Antonio Conte

Copyright Mark Worrall 2017

PUBLISHED BY GATE 17

www.gate17.co.uk

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Twitter: @gate17marco

cover photograph: Disco Debs Coady @cfunofficial

cover design : GATE 17

THE ITALIAN JOB

A CHELSEA THRILLER STARRING ANTONIO CONTE

PART ONE

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A massive thank you to Disco Debs Coady @cfcunofficial for the fantastic photo of Antonio Conte which graces the cover of this book. Taken 18 March 2017 at the bet365 stadium (Stoke City 1 Chelsea 2), Debs has captured the very essence of Conte. Check out her superb Blues photoblog www.cfcunofficial.com

Thank you also to Theresa Magee @bluebaby67 for regular supplies of life-saving hot chocolate brought pre-match to the cfcuk fanzine stall with a smile during the bleak and bitter winter months. At the same place, but not at the same time (yet) Mark Yates @WalterOtton, cheers for the JD & coke and occasional salmon. Jason Marco @chucklescabbie you can take a bow also for always being first with the breaking team news.

Matchday banter Blues in regular order of appearance at the cfcuk stall I think: Bonesy, Peter Carroll, Steve Mabey, Steve (the brilliant but sadly now retired Gate17 steward) Seymour, David Johnstone, Peter Kemp, Neil Beard, Paul Canoville, Paul and Pearl Tungate, Tim Rolls, Roger Cumberbatch, Kerry Dixon, Terri Fisk, Julie Osbourne, Louise Osbourne, Raymondo Howden, Peter Trenter, Liz Nurse, Alexandra Churchill, David Chidgey, Alex the Mod, Justine Snell, Neil Wilcox, Enrico Castagnetti, Salvatore Orsini, Anna Lucia Orsini, Giuseppe Merola, Shaun McRonald, Carol Ann Wood, Alison Fradgley, Aggy Kyriakou, Dan Silver, Cliff Auger, Tom Broderick, Kalman Soos, Caroline Rice, Frances Clarke, Stuart Kinner, Ken Barkway, Patrick Niles, Kelvin Barker, Mark Meehan, Michelle Brand, Dane Greenfield, Andy Byrne, Garrison, Sid Celery, Rory Jennings, Chris Axon, Sam Simons, Clive OConnell, Tony Davis, Nick Howe, Clayton Beerman, Julie Carr, Mark Wyeth, Neil Smith, Jeff Warren, Chris Vassallo, Charles Jackson, Tony Glover, Alan Bird, Bryan Marriott, Richard Schaller, Pater Sampson, Martin Wickham.

Overseas Blues who always stop by when they are in town for a game: Paul Ross, Carol Ross, Paul McEvoy, Oran Tully, Ollie Paillette, Julien Vauchel, Jerome Loubeau, Andy Wray, Beth Wild, Jan Hammarback, Tony Kullberg, Tomas Wilhelmsson, Harri Hemmi, Jake Cohen, Dan Dormer, Mike Neat, Steve Neat, Frank Visone.

My Gate 17 mates: Big Chris, Tantric Dave, Salisbury Rog, Alright Pav, Saucy Seb, Siciliano Sandro.

Per la mia cara mamma Giovanna.

Ti dico solamente una sola parola: Grazie! XXX

"It's not important where you win, it's important to win."

Antonio Conte

PREFACE

This preface to The Italian Job could quite easily have been entitled The Winter of Discontent or Youre Not Special Anymore . Chelseas brutally horrible and unexpected demise from being Premier League champions in May 2015 to a team in disarray less than six months later culminated with legendary Blues manager Jos Mourinho being sacked on 17 December 2015.

It was a divisive period among the London clubs supporters.

Three days previously, a 2-1 defeat away at Leicester City, Chelseas ninth loss in 16 top-flight games, had left the title holders marooned in 16th place in the table Blues owner Roman Abramovich could take no more. Mourinho, no stranger to controversy, had had a very public falling out with club doctor Eva Carneiro towards the end of the opening match of the campaign, a 2-2 home draw with Swansea, and things had gone from bad to worse as tales of dressing room unrest bubbled to the surface and rusted in the public eye. The team had lost its spirit, the players their mojo something had to change and in the Abramovich era at Chelsea typically that meant one thing. The manager had to go! The shock! The horror! Mourinho sacked! Incredible!

Social media sites erupted. Keyboard warriors duelled. Friendships were fractured. Mourinhos achievements in two stints as manager at Stamford Bridge had brought silverware aplenty. Three Premier League titles, the FA Cup, three League Cups and the Community Shield were won under the watch of the Portuguese and it was understandable, especially given the fact that six months previously Chelsea had recently won the league by a margin of eight points, if many fans thought Mourinho deserved more time to see if he could remedy matters. Whether they were in the majority or not will never be known. Certainly, there were plenty of chants and makeshift banners proclaiming support for the Special One, however there were also many stiff upper lips to be seen people who had grown tired of Mourinhos fractiousness and the fact that Chelsea, just like the first time around, had become all about him.

The arguments rumbled on through Christmas and into the New Year, and fingers were still being pointed while ever-avuncular Guus Hiddink, parachuted in to do his interim manager thing, was trying his best to placate planet Chelsea. Approaching his 70th year, Hiddink was only ever going to be a short-term fix the big question was, who would Abramovich appoint as Mourinhos long-term successor?

Having lost out on one enduring target, Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola, to Manchester City, and seen Atletico Madrid main-man Diego Simeone, perceived my many to be the obvious choice should Abramovich fail to lure Guardiola to SW6, distance himself from the job, it looked like Chelsea were struggling to find the right man to replace Mourinho. Outgoing City manager Manuel Pellegrini, former Chile national team boss Jorge Sampaoli and Juventus chief Massimiliano Allegri all jockeyed for position as bookmakers favourite. By mid-February however, it was Allegris countryman, Antonio Conte, manager of the Italy national team, whose odds to take on arguably the most difficult job in football suddenly shortened.

46 years of age at the time, Contes CV was certainly impressive. Having won five Serie A titles plus the Champions League and UEFA Cup as a player with Juventus, the former Italy international midfielder had gone on to manage the Turin club to three consecutive Scudettos before succeeding Cesare Prandelli as Azzurri boss in August 2014.

The more Contes background and attributes were scrutinised, the more he looked like the right fit for Chelsea. Parallels were drawn with fellow Italian Carlo Ancelotti who had walked the walk as a player and manager in Serie A before arriving at Stamford Bridge in June 2009 and winning an historic Premier League and FA Cup Double in his first season. Of course, Ancelotti had fallen foul of Abramovichs as yet at the time unsated desire to win the Champions League, but among the Chelsea faithful he was widely respected loved even. Personally, and not because of my Italian heritage, I thought media-friendly Ancelotti was the best manager wed had in years so yes youre right in deducing that I was in the camp that had grown tired of Mourinhos abrasiveness and self-absorbed one-upmanship.

Of all the choices available, I was convinced Conte was the best. With his appointment imminent, I found some photos showing his now fabulous thatch of hair looking curiously much thinner. A miracle had taken place at some point. I made a collage and took to Twitter @gate17marco if Conte can restore Chelseas fortunes as successfully as he has restored his hair, we will be champions again soon!