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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Freddie Keighley

Willian reflects on Antonio Conte tweet that went "bang" and began road to Chelsea exit

Willian has admitted his regret over a controversial social media post about Antonio Conte in the aftermath of Chelsea's 2018 FA Cup final triumph.

Brazil winger Willian was handed only one minute off the bench by Conte in the final and clashed with the former Blues boss over a lack of game time towards the end of his two seasons in charge.

Though Chelsea lifted the FA Cup after a 1-0 win over Manchester United, their celebrations were marred as Willian posted a photo of the squad with emojis positioned to obscure Conte.

While Willian is not proud of his actions, he believes Conte struggled with man management and their poor relations inevitably contributed to the Italian's departure.

Willian had a frosty relationship with Conte (Getty Images Europe)

"When I saw that picture of the whole team, something happened in my mind," Willian told the Daily Mail .

"I just don't know what. I just knew that if he stayed at the club I would have to leave. It wasn't possible to work with him again.

"So I decided to do the picture. I didn't expect it to go 'bang' everywhere after five minutes. But then everyone in Brazil was talking about it, and in England.

Were Chelsea right to sack Antonio Conte after he lead them to the FA Cup? Have your say here.

Conte was sacked two months after the FA Cup triumph (PA)

"I was thinking: 'Why have I done this?' but by then I couldn't delete it. It was too late!

"Conte was actually a good coach. We won the title. But the way he managed the team was different. You have to know that I am not the same as Diego [Costa] or David [Luiz] and they are not the same as me.

"Everyone has a different personality. With some you can go strong, others you can't. He didn't understand that.

"It was hard for me as I would play well, score a goal and then be on the bench. I would come on, make an assist and then be back on the bench. That was hard. In the end one of us was always going to go."

Conte was sacked two months after the FA Cup final, while Willian departed Stamford Bridge at the expiry of his contract last summer to join Arsenal.

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