Antonio Conte's Tactical Masterclass vs. Spain Should Have Chelsea Fans Purring
A couple of hours before Roy Hodgson was fluffing his lines and England were crashing out of Euro 2016 in the most embarrassing of circumstances to Iceland on Monday, Antonio Conte was masterminding another glorious chapter in the history of Italian football.
Whereas the hopes of a nation had been pinned to the England squad—this time it was going to be different, apparently—Italy were written off before a ball was even kicked in anger in France.
The Azzurri were being billed as one of the worst sides to have heralded from their proud country. But here they are now, in the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 and they're doing it their way.
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Belgium were humbled by the Italians in the group stages and now reigning European champions Spain have been added to the growing list of scalps after being knocked out of the last 16.
Italy have been transformed from underdogs to become one of the favourites at Euro 2016 and it's largely down to their manager.
So Chelsea fans of English heritage can take solace; while their national team has let them down again, they will have Conte to raise their spirits in a few weeks.
If there were question marks about the wisdom in bringing the Italian to the Premier League, he has shown us all this summer what a fine coach he is. They may look mediocre on the team sheet, but Conte's Italy look world-beaters where it matters most—on the pitch.
It's the mark of a truly talented individual. One man has united a country, and Italy have won over the sceptics in the process. Conte has restored their pride, doing it with tactical acumen and no shortage of pride.
They're the qualities that Chelsea have lacked in the past 12 months when they became easy to beat and the accusations about their commitment to the cause were rife.
Chelsea need a manager to lead them out of this dark period and restore the desire that the club has long been known for. It's been backs-to-the-wall performances that have seen the Blues achieve unprecedented success at times, but there has been a feeling of that character disappearing.
With legends departing in their droves in recent years, what Chelsea were has become diluted. Indeed, only John Terry remains to remind fans of the good times when they were England's dominant side. They have failed to replace that on the pitch, so it's to the dugout where the Blues have focused their attentions.
Judging by Italy's performances in France, Roman Abramovich has got it wonderfully right.
We saw Italy do to Spain exactly what they did to Belgium on Matchday 1. They stifled the defending champions and strangled the life out of them before showing they had the nous at the other end to convert the opportunities that would fall their way.
It started with the press in midfield. A five-man line of blue shirts that operated methodically as a unit to compress the space and stop La Roja from playing. For all Spain's craft in those central areas, it was players such as Daniele De Rossi who were most effective.
Conte has set Italy up not to just be hard to beat, but to win games. The manager operates his team as a hybrid in the most difficult way.
Every side will have weaknesses with their system and style of play, yet right now it's difficult to pinpoint Italy's. From the solid defensive base, Conte has ensured it doesn't prove detrimental to what happens further forward where Graziano Pelle and Eder lead the line.
Everything works collectively, one complementing the other.
If there's to be a weakness, it's with the players Conte has at his disposal. These Italians can't be compared with the stars from the past. Italy no longer have a Franco Baresi or Roberto Baggio to call upon; when they have Conte, they don't need one, though.
What the Azzurri have instead is a manager who believes in the system he plays and the role those players have to play for it to work. They're well prepared on the training ground and it shows on the field.
Per AFP (h/t Sky Sports), Conte said after Monday's 2-0 win over Spain:
"Right from the outset since I took over I have said that the only route forward to achieve a semblance of success is to try and be a like a club team.
We can't simply be a group of players. There is no point in hiding it, this is not the rosiest period for Italy in terms of talent.
Given the fact we can't fall back on a selection of good players, we have to be a collective. I have battled for two years for people to understand this and we are a team.
We have been working very intensively for a month now, tactically and physically, in a bid to surprise people and we have already succeeded on that.
"
For Chelsea, it's the perfect approach. For a club in a state of flux, Conte offers the sort of stability and ethos that will get them moving in the right direction again. For all the problems of the past year, his Italy are showing that the incoming head coach has the solutions.
That was the biggest criticism of Chelsea last season. Their problems were many, but above all else they didn't look like a team. There were too many occasions when they turned up and played like 11 individuals and were unrecognisable as Premier League champions.
For all the talent they had, it didn't work collectively for Chelsea. The hope is that with Conte and his team ethic, he will will bond a squad that is in desperate need of it.
The sight of the Italian on the sidelines mirrors another manager we've been familiar with in west London. Jose Mourinho is as animated as they come and watching Conte throughout Euro 2016, his behaviour is probably already endearing him to Chelsea fans.
He kicks every ball with his players—he actually did kick the ball clear from the sidelines during the victory over Spain—running every yard with them in his pursuit of perfection. He's their biggest cheerleader and when they need direction, he's there providing it.
And when victory comes, Conte's even ready to rival Gianluigi Buffon in the celebration stakes. The veteran goalkeeper is known to grapple his crossbar after a win, and an impassioned Conte was seen climbing the roof of the Italian dugout at full-time on Monday, raging with adrenaline that coursed through his veins.
He's a character and it's those sort of managers who have been adored most down the years on the King's Road. He hasn't even taken charge of Chelsea yet, but the prospect is that it won't be long before Conte is joining the rest of them in the legend stakes.
August and the start of the Premier League can't come soon enough—especially for those Chelsea fans who have suffered broken hearts again with England.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
