The Antonio Conte Report, Pt. 3: View from the Chelsea Supporters

In the final instalment of our three-part series, Bleacher Report speaks to Chelsea supporters to get their views on manager Antonio Conte and how he is bringing about a new era at the club.

We’ve already heard from journalists and former Chelsea players about the impact that Antonio Conte has made in west London in the short time since he took over at the club in the summer.

The hacks are enjoying working with Conte, and the former Blues we spoke with all said they would relish the opportunity of playing under the new boss. The Italian’s character has been a big part of the praise he has received, along with his tactical acumen and the way he has conducted himself.

So now it’s the chance for the supporters to express their thoughts. Are they already enamoured with Conte? Are they expecting him to take the club forward and achieve greatness? Are last season's struggles feeling like nothing but a bad memory?

Bleacher Report spoke with Ceri Levy and Andy Saunders from the popular podcast The Chels, while cfcuk fanzine editor David Johnstone was also on hand along with fellow supporters Russell De Rozario and Tom Longfellow.

1st Impressions

After the struggles from last season—on and off the pitch—Chelsea needed a manager who could unite the club. Fans, players and the board needed to be brought together in order to get the club moving forward. Has Conte made any impression in that regard?

CL: What’s impressed me most about Conte is the fact he’s shown what a great politician he is. First off, he came into the club, he let everyone show him what they could do, picked a side for a few games on the trot. And suddenly we came up against Liverpool and Arsenal, when everyone thought we were doing so well. The scorelines were looking great; the team was looking great. And then we hit a brick wall.

At half-time against Arsenal, it's like he said: "You know what, it’s now my turn to show you what I can do." Since that moment, it’s been a completely different situation. I also think that he’s been saved by the fact John Terry got injured at a point when he could change that system. He hasn’t had people saying: "You can’t drop JT; you can’t have him playing in a three."

Everything’s worked out for him, and I think Conte’s a brilliant politician and a brilliant tactician.

DJ: Conte’s got these players playing how they know they can play. He inspires them, he gives them confidence and he’s teaching them everything he knows. He came from a club side that won the league three times in a row under him [Juventus in Serie A]; if we could win the Premier League in Conte’s first season, it’d be absolutely fantastic.

AS: If I’m honest, I felt it would take time for Conte to come in and make an impression. He’s a very experienced manager; he did amazing things at Juventus and with Italy. But given the state of the club when he came in, he’s done a remarkable job. He took what was a dysfunctional squad and dysfunctional system and changed it. He’s implemented his ideas and put his personality on the club. I think we’re seeing the rewards.

RDR: First impressions have been very good. Conte seems calm, although that seems a bit odd judging by his pitchside antics, but he’s been really good. It’s been a great change, although I was worried about the substitutions being so late early on. The Manchester United match was perfect. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, to be honest. I remember odd bits from Juventus and the summer with Italy, but Conte’s moved quicker than I thought he would.

Last year was obviously a bit of a state, and we never really found any footing. That was disconcerting after a good year before, but now it’s great.

TL: Early impressions are great. Conte’s a perfect fit for Chelsea this season after last year’s horror show. He’s united a fractured team and got them playing. I’d say that everyone has been above eight and a half out of 10 in the last two matches. We’re playing in a way that makes it hard for other teams to break us down, as everyone has each other’s back and is performing for each other on the pitch. What’s impressed the most is the way he’s brought the team together and united them. He’s got a team spirit going, which you could see from the late goals early in the season.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Conte has already done plenty in the four months he’s had at Chelsea, notably changing the formation Chelsea line up in every week. Is there one thing that stands out from everything he has introduced?

CL: Conte has shown something that’s quite interesting for me in the fact he’s exploring what his players can do. He doesn’t just have one system. Everyone has said that he has always played a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-3—whichever way you want to look at it—but the truth is he examines what his players can do in certain games.

He tweaks the system, and we’ve already seen him start off the old-fashioned way with Chelsea tactics, then go through this newer system. And I think he’ll adapt it again. I think he’ll look at teams on their merit. If he does carry on in this way, then I think he could be up there with the greats; maybe he can match [Champions League-winning boss Roberto] Di Matteo.

DJ: I think, after just a couple of months in charge, Conte has got the potential to be one of Chelsea’s best-ever managers—under owner Roman Abramovich or any other regime. He is such a cool guy. He’s a nice guy. He’s measured. He’s crazy when he needs to be. The players love playing for him—you can see that—and they’ve got all their confidence back.

AS: We’ve always been guilty in the past of not necessarily playing players to their strengths. I think what Conte has done is look at players, look at where their strengths lie, and players such as David Luiz are consequently starting to work in a system that suits them. Victor Moses is a great example of player who was in the wilderness but has come back to work in a system that is suitable for him and plays to his strengths.

You have to give Conte credit for looking at the squad and the players and designing a system that suits them.

RDR: I always thought Moses was going to be great. I remember him at Crystal Palace and always thought he’d be a good asset for a Premier League team. I was always disappointed he never made it through from pre-season, as he was generally one of the better players before the campaign began, so full marks to Conte for bringing him in. Unlike a lot of players, Moses has taken his chance; he’s probably the best wing-back in the league [on current form].

TL: You can see in Conte’s post-match interviews, where pundits or journalists are asking him questions, that he’s trying to answer in a thoughtful way. He’s taking his time trying answer questions; he’s pausing. You can even see in the answers to the questions about what Jose Mourinho said to him after the United match that he simply said it was personal. I think that shows class, which we didn’t last season at all under Jose.

Wild Thing

Jose Mourinho accused Conte of being out to humiliate him and Manchester United when Chelsea thrashed his side 4-0 in October. Is the former Blues boss up to his old tricks, or is Conte deliberately goading him and other managers with some of his antics on the sidelines?

CL: Is Conte humiliating other teams with his celebrations? Of course not! It’s ridiculous. It’s the usual deflection tactic—if he were clever enough to have a deflection tactic. It’s just moaning and bitching from Jose. The point is, at 4-0, I could hear the Man United fans—we all could. We got a bit complacent in the ground, and Conte was just trying to whip up the atmosphere.

I get what he was saying: "Support the team; clap the team, and show them how much you think that they’re doing a great job today." I think that’s what he was doing; I don’t think he was out to humiliate anyone. Let’s face it, Jose managed to humiliate himself with the team he picked and the way they played.

DJ: [The manager is] passionate. He loves it when his side scores a goal. He loves the interaction with the crowd, and you can tell he loves Chelsea Football Club. He’s fantastic. When Chelsea score, he shows it means the world to him like it means the world to every single Chelsea supporter. He’s one of us, and we’re with him.

AS: The notion that Conte is humiliating other managers is ridiculous. I think Conte is perfectly entitled to be happy and to celebrate, as are other managers. I think it says more about other managers who complain about being humiliated than it does about Conte.

RDR: It was great to see Conte urging the crowd on late on [against Manchester United] with a total lack of respect. That’s what we love!

TL: I don’t think Conte’s humiliating anyone. I think he’s being a good manager and trying to get the support going. If anything, it’s just Jose moaning about mind games again. I don’t think there’s anything in that.

And 1 More Thing…

• Revisit Part 1 and Part 2 of the Antonio Conte Report on Bleacher Report by clicking the links.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.