FA Cup final Man of the Match Antonio Rüdiger has come out in praise of Conte in a press conference yesterday, talking up the (outgoing?) Chelsea head coach’s tactical prowess and trophy-winning habits.
“Conte? I think everyone knows he’s a very good Coach, tactically very good. In his first year he won the [Premier] League, in the second year the FA Cup. He showed that he’s a Coach that can win titles and this is what I’m about, I want to win titles.”
Rüdiger had appeared to criticize Chelsea’s tactics earlier this season and may or may not have copped a brief one-match-long trip to the doghouse as a result, but he was soon back in the starting lineup, just as he had been for much of the season. In fact, the 25-year-old was probably Chelsea’s best signing of last summer and certainly the only new acquisition other than Olivier Giroud to actually live up to his transfer fee.
But despite that success, Rüdiger, who’s currently with the German national team and trying to make the final cut for the World Cup, is confident in his own abilities and not too concerned whether Conte stays or goes.
“If he stays, or maybe goes, to me it’s the same situation.”
-Antonio Rüdiger; source: Guardian
Whoever ends up being in charge for next season will find a very good player to utilize in Rüdiger.