Chelsea news: Antonio Conte manages to do the impossible
Antonio Conte has performed a true Chelsea miracle
There’s no question that Antonio Conte can produce magical results for Chelsea football club. Surprisingly, he can also produce miracles off the pitch. His latest trick is turning Diego Costa into a sympathetic figure in the court of personal opinion.
The enigmatic striker’s latest interview for Sportsmail paints a very different picture of Costa and Conte than we are used to seeing. Instead of portray Costa as a childish player who needs to be constantly chided and disciplined, it shows Conte as a manager who, in Costa’s estimation “lacks charisma.”
The insightful interviews shows a much gentler side of Costa. In fact, it shows fans a player that is truly hurt by his unceremonious banishment from Stamford Bridge.
By now, everyone is familiar with the callous text message Conte sent Costa to inform him that he was no longer in Chelsea’s plans. Costa actually has kept the text message on his phone to make sure that no one ever accuses him of making the story up. When he first received the message he was out on international duty for Spain. The majority of his teammates were shocked by the message, and more importantly, its mode of delivery.
It’s clear that the striker was legitimately hurt by his banishment. While Chelsea do want him to return to train with the youth, that clearly isn’t an acceptable solution for the proud striker. He believes such a punishment would brand him as a “criminal.” While that’s certainly hyperbole in the minds of most fans, it is a rather scathing insult for a player who was integral in Chelsea’s march towards last season’s Premier League title.
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The idea that Conte has put Costa in a position to receive sympathy from neutral fans is downright astounding. Costa has been one of the most reviled football players in England for several seasons. His immature, bullish behavior on the pitch has been rightly criticized by fans and pundits alike. He’s feigned injury, attempted to fight opponents and even criticized a competitor’s body odor at one point. He’s the very antithesis of a sympathetic figure.
Yet somehow, Conte has managed to come off looking like the villain in this conflict. It’s an amazingly poor job of managing the public relations of the affair by both the Italian manager and Chelsea. It’s absurd they’ve allowed Costa to gain the upper hand in the court of public opinion. With even the slightest effort Chelsea and Conte could have painted Conte as the petulant child who must leave the club to preserve the locker room. Instead, their cold, impersonal silence has allowed Costa to build a much different narrative.
Next: Conte is picking a fight with Abramovich
Antonio Conte has plenty of problems to deal with on the pitch after his club’s poor opening match against Burnley. Chelsea fans will hope he can pull a rabbit out of his hat and drastically improve his club’s performance against Tottenham this weekend. At least they know he’s capable of making the impossible happen. He’s certainly done so by allowing Diego Costa to look like the good guy in his ugly conflict with Conte and the higher-ups at Chelsea.