Antonio Conte's Biggest Task Is to Get His Chelsea Players Performing Like Him

ALLIANZ STADION, Vienna — When the Chelsea bus rolled into Vienna on Saturday, the star attraction wasn't the players on the pitch; it was the man in the dugout.

Manager Antonio Conte was the figure everyone wanted to see. The 400 or so Chelsea fans who made the trip to Rapid Vienna's Allianz Stadion knew they wouldn't be getting a vintage performance given how early the fixture came in pre-season. It was a task designed more to catch a glimpse of what this new era in west London is all about now Conte finally has control of the reins.

If the Chelsea players weren't at their combative best in the 2-0 loss, we couldn't say the same about their new boss. Friendly or not, Conte was just as animated as he had been throughout the Euro 2016 with Italy, racing up and down the touchline to bark out orders and keep his players' minds on the task at hand.

Indeed, at one stage of the second half, the Chelsea manager gave the referee some choice words for not awarding Victor Moses a penalty. Conte went full steam ahead as he shouted across the pitch, his neck muscles bulging.

Observing Conte is just as tiring on the mind as it must be on his legs. His rapid movements and articulated outbursts of emotion mean he can deflect attention from the game. He catches the eye, and there were moments in Vienna when his mannerisms were more entertaining than the football on display.

These are the early days of his tenure. They're equally busy too. Conte only started work on Wednesday and has already conducted a grand unveiling, taken double training sessions and watched his side play their first game under him.

We've seen the development he plans to introduce at Stamford Bridge. The formation has switched to a 4-2-4 in a bid to get the best out of Chelsea's talented attacking options, making them a threat once more in the final third.

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It's all aimed at restoring that status Chelsea have lost. We saw the Blues weakened significantly last term to the point they will not have any European football in the next 12 months. There will be no Champions League or Europa League football to contend with, leaving it down to the weekly grind of a domestic campaign.

As pre-season steps up after the first game, the Chelsea players have to respond in the same manner as their manager. They have the talent to go out and win matches, but Chelsea have lacked any real character in this past year or so. They've lost their ability to fight, and that means, no matter how much Conte will try to do it for them from the sidelines, they're going to struggle during bigger tests in the season.

The good news, however, is Chelsea's players are already getting that message. Speaking after the game on Saturday, Asmir Begovic told Bleacher Report his team-mates have reacted well to the new boss' methods.

"It's been great so far," said the goalkeeper. "We're buying into what the manager wants us to do, we're working hard to try to improve and work in a different way. It's going to take a bit of time. It's a process, but so far so good and over time we'll get better."

Begovic was also asked how Conte has changed training and the impact it has had on the squad.

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"It's just different," he explained. "We're trying to be very disciplined. The work ethic is really strong. A few things have changed. It's just something we're trying to buy into, and it's going to take a little bit of time.

"[The double training sessions are] a part of pre-season. We expect to work hard, and we were working really hard. It's part of the process. I'm sure we've got another few hard days ahead—we've got to get our base fitness, and it's something that will do us good in the long run. 

"It's been difficult—like any pre-season. An ice bath always comes good at the end of the day! We're enjoying the hard work, though, and we know it's going to benefit us in the long run."

The fitness work on the training ground is only half the problem for Conte. This Chelsea team didn't look in shape for all of 2015/16. They were woefully off the pace at stages, and that has damaged the collective belief of the players.

The manager must overcome this. He needs to convince Nemanja Matic he is actually a footballer; Conte must remind the midfielder of the season he had when Chelsea won the title in 2014/15.

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That belief has been stripped from them, and we saw it against Rapid Vienna. When Chelsea fell behind after eight minutes, heads went. There was a sense of inevitability setting in, which eventually proved the case, as Rapid doubled their lead after the interval.

It didn't help that Chelsea's hosts will start their domestic season before July is out, meaning they're primed and ready to get going. The least we should have expected, though, was for Chelsea to compete. And for long spells, they didn't. There were flashes but nothing sustainable that could breed confidence.

That's the problem for Conte. Aside from training-ground drills and fitness, Chelsea haven't picked up anything in pre-season yet. It's going to be gradual, of course it is, but last year's loss to New York Red Bulls in the first game of pre-season gave birth to an unwanted trend that saw Chelsea avoid a win in every pre-season outing.

To overcome that happening again, these Chelsea players need to inherit some of that fighting spirit of their manager.

When he was unveiled at Stamford Bridge on Thursday, Conte spoke of the hope of a flame becoming an inferno at Chelsea. He wants some fire in the belly of his players to match his own.

We can forget tactics and systems for a moment; getting the team to mirror his image is going to be his toughest challenge.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes