Chelsea fans are getting excited about Antonio Conte’s arrival at Stamford Bridge following his tactical masterclass this week.
The Italy coach overcame a Belgium side ranked second in the world and filled with talented individuals like Eden Hazard and Kevin De Bruyne.
Sunderland’s Emanuele Giaccherini and Southampton’s Graziano Pelle gave Conte’s side a convincing win in what was the most impressive performance at Euro 2016 so far.
But how did the incoming Blues boss overcome the Belgians given this Italy side was accused of being the least talented in years before a ball was kicked in France?
The man likened to Jose Mourinho by the Italian media had to use all of his nous and motivational skills to secure the three points and his players are in awe of his talents.
Here’s what the Italy squad have had to say about their manager's approach and what Chelsea can expect from him when he officially takes over in west London.
Emanuele Giaccherini
“Conte is strong manager in every way
“He works so hard on everything during the week in training and wants every player to know exactly what he wants to do in every aspect of their game – defence, midfield and attack.
“He is so focused. I’d say he is a unique manager in that respect. There is no one like him. He will be success, I am sure of that – he will definitely do really well.
“He will have a strong bunch of players, and he is very capable of getting everyone to adapt to his ideas about football. He is a manager the players love and who love to play for.”
Daniele De Rossi
“I’ve played under a lot of good managers but he is one of the best there is. He’s a special kind of coach. He’s a very particular manager.
“He takes a lot of care about every single detail. He spends hours making videos and watching videos of our opponents.
“He prepares matches better than anyone else and you can see that on the pitch because everyone knows exactly what they have to do and where our team-mates are and that makes it easier for us.”
Matteo Darmian
“He’s a great manager who gives every player who works for him total confidence.
“Every player in the squad wants to give 100 per cent for him every time, in training or on the pitch – he’s that sort of manager. He’s great in every aspect of the game.
“He works on you physically but also on the mental side as well. He has everyone knowing exactly what they have to do; he is such a well-organised coach.
“He has got us so strong at the back – you saw that against Belgium. We are difficult to score against and with that, then we know we can always pinch something going forward.
“I am sure he will be a big success in England – why shouldn’t he be? He is a good manager for Italy, so I am sure he can be just as big a success when he starts work in the Premier League.”
