Antonio Conte’s period in charge at Tottenham Hotspur probably wasn’t the favourite time of the manager’s career.
Now at Napoli, he’s shown signs of turning things around quickly, and is – as ever – laser focused on the job at hand.
There were bright spots at Spurs but the stint simply petered out and things became rather ugly for the Italian, whose famous rant helped his exit from Tottenham.
Corriere dello Sport director Ivan Zazzaroni has now provided insight into his approach, revealing conversations from ex-sporting director Fabio Paratici.
He said, as relayed by AreaNapoli: “Some time ago Fabio Paratici, three years with Juve and two with Tottenham told me something that I have not forgotten.
“The team is a matter of his exclusive relevance, he is the head of the family recognised by the troops.”
The journalist went on to say Conte is able to sense the environment of clubs and then sees where he can place himself. That is perhaps what he did at Tottenham too.
“Antonio is someone who sniffs the environment, he quickly perceives its moods. He has an almost animalistic sensitivity in identifying the characters of his interlocutors.
“On the field, then, he is among the best in the world.”
Conte now finds himself working with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, and there’s already been bumps in the relationship at this early stage.
ADL likes to be hands on, often speaking to players personally, and that may not go down very well with Conte over the long run.
