To Antonio Conte, the culture shock has taken many forms. The Chelsea manager is working outside of his native Italy for the first time and, among other things, he has been struck by how Premier League players like to belt out music in the dressing room before matches.
Conte was asked to reveal what he would choose, if he was granted control of the iPad. “Discotheque music. Boom, boom,” he said, with a sideways fist pump and a broad smile. “Fantastic!”
To fit with the image he has brought to London it ought to be something that clocks in at 300 beats per minute. Conte was thoughtful and friendly at his first press conference before a competitive game – his team play West Ham United at Stamford Bridge on Monday night – but English audiences ought to prepare themselves for his touchline antics.
Conte was asked if he felt relaxed before what is a step into the unknown for him. He laughed. “I am not very relaxed,” he said. “This is a fantastic experience for me – the first time I have managed a new team in a new league and in a new country.
“It is a fantastic challenge and, for this reason, I am not much relaxed. We are working very hard to be prepared and we have to do a lot of work to improve.”
Conte gave an impressive performance, and what was striking was how quickly he has picked up the language. And this was without the benefit of English lessons since the middle of July, when the club went to Austria and the pre-season work was stepped up. Conte has been preoccupied with double and triple training sessions since then.
He smiled a lot and he did so as he discussed his frustrations on the transfer market. He remains interested in Kalidou Koulibaly, even as the Napoli centre-half’s price edges close to £50m, while Everton are demanding an eye-watering £75m for the striker Romelu Lukaku.
“This market is very crazy,” Conte said. “I talk every day with the club [about transfers] and we have a plan. I think Chelsea is waiting for the right solution and, in this moment, it is not easy. We must be patient.”
Patience strikes no one as a virtue of Conte’s and the overriding impression he gave was that he was ready for the kick-off, excited about it and desperate to get going.
It will be interesting to see how he evolves tactically over the season, given his use of a 3-5-2 formation in his jobs with the Italy national team and Juventus. He maintained it was always a case of him cutting his cloth according to the players at his disposal and he is likely to start with a 4-3-3 against West Ham.
“In pre-season, we have found two solutions but in the future, it [playing three at the back] can happen,” Conte said.
“It is important for the coach to understand the right fit for the team. At Siena, I played 4-2-4 and when I arrived at Juventus I started with 4-2-4, then changed to 4-3-3 and then to 3-5-2. Also with the national team, we changed to a different system. A manager must get to know the players and find the right solution.”
Conte mentioned how Chelsea had “lost confidence” last season, during their dismal title defence but he made the point it was not too long ago they had ruled the roost. Finding the balance between drawing on past lessons and shaping a bold future on fresh terms would be key.
He also referenced his past as an international footballer on more than one occasion, in terms of how it gave him an advantage in knowing how to handle the players in various situations – including whether to use the carrot or the stick.
“I have spoken a lot with them,” said Conte, who will give a debut to N’Golo Kanté, his £29.2m signing from Leicester City, against West Ham.
“When you arrive at a new club, it is important to get to know the players. Why was last season so bad? It is important to go into the heads of the players.”
