Antonio Conte doesn’t want his Chelsea tenure to be measured by trophies

Out of the Champions League, out of the Premier League title race and with the FA Cup his last chance to hold a trophy aloft this season, Antonio Conte is rejecting the notion that silverware is the only measure of a coach’s success.

“It’s not an issue of winning a trophy or not.”

In a challenging season crowded with more fixtures than the last on, and with a sometimes-lengthy injury list limiting his selection of players, he wants a different metric applied to his work. A metric that recognises what he feels are the things within his control.

“The work of a coach must be judged not on victories but on the improvement of the squad and the current value of the squad.”

There’s some coded language in there, for sure. He’s probably talking about the one topic he keeps gnawing at like a dog with a bone: the summer transfer window.

Short of players or not, the team have shown in their last two outings that they still have a fighting spirit. Conte’s not one to give up and he’s going to keep pushing and defending his own record.

“This is a team that can grow in terms of quality and experience. We can do better in every aspect. I am not seeking confirmation in victories. I continue my work aware that I am doing good work.”

-Antonio Conte; source: MediasetPremium via The Guardian

Well, he’s not lacking for confidence. That’s pretty much a baseline requirement for a manager at his level.

And a win in Sunday’s FA Cup quarterfinal against Leicester would put him one step closer to hoisting one of those trophies he’s talking about.