The Roman Abramovich era at Chelsea has been synonymous with greatness, winning, and trophies. And sackings. And big-money signings. And making history. Until last season, of course, when only the part about sackings was true. So now the target is to return the club to where we belong.
It's a good thing we'e got Antonio Conte to lead us in this fight.
"As the players and manager of a great club like Chelsea, the targets are very clear — you can't escape. The targets are the same — to fight to win or to fight to the end to win. It's also important that the fans see our passion."
Most of the faces are the same as last year, but Conte is seeing some promising signs after the first couple weeks together. With emphasis on physical training and new tactical ideas, there's some hope that we can teach these old dogs some new tricks yet.
"After a week, I am very happy because I have found a great atmosphere and a great attitude between the players. This is very, very important to have — we are working very hard."
"We need to transfer my idea of football and for this reason I need a bit of time. But I'm happy to have this great telepathy with the players because we are changing the work compared to the last seasons, in the physical and tactical aspect."
After five jobs in club management and a generally impressive spell in charge of the national team, this is Conte's first try at a job outside of Italy. So far, things are going well (ed. note: despite the standard sh*t-stirring media reports).
"I am very happy to have this experience, to be manager of a great club like Chelsea. It's the right moment for me to stay here, in a fantastic championship with a great atmosphere, great passion. I am staying at the right place, I feel this."
-Antonio Conte; source: Evening Standard
Conte sure seems like the right man at the right time to put the squad in their place and lead Chelsea back to glory. May this be only the start of a long and fruitful relationship.