Tag Archives: antonio conte

Chelsea weren’t meant to lose this FA Cup final. Everything was pointing towards the Blues sweeping an injury-riddled Arsenal aside having been able to rest after securing the title. Antonio Conte was going to notch the club’s second double and Arsene Wenger would be left in a muddle once again.

From the off Arsenal were far the better side. Chelsea were dominated centrally, as N’golo Kante and Nemanja Matic could not handle the quartet of Granit Xhaka, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez. Conte could have seen his side fall behind by several goals and, in truth, the Blues were fortunate not be humiliated.

Whether we want to buy the ‘complacent’ narrative or see this as a renaissance for an Arsenal side that have recently embarked on a rare tactical adaptation, it was a reminder that this Chelsea incarnation are far from invincible. Impressive at their best, sure, the Blues have been flawed all too often and comparatively limped over the line this season. Defeats to Crystal Palace and Manchester United are hauntingly familiar memories, while the 93 point total still represents a remarkable achievement.

Chelsea’s squad appeared weak in August. Those weaknesses have been masked by a lack of injuries and superb management from the ever-likeable Italian manager. Those holes remain, however, and cannot be simply papered over this summer.

After other title wins, Chelsea have floundered and faffed in the transfer market. Cutting corners or pinching pennies, the Blues have left themselves in too weak a position the next season to reach their objectives or been forced to splash excessively in January.

As a Manchester arms race begins, Liverpool are linked with half the Bundesliga and Spurs’ young squad will improve, Chelsea cannot afford to lean on a roster that’s flaws have gradually reached greater prominence. It does not need to be brash, flash or brutally expensive like the spending from the northwest will be, but Chelsea’s summer is as definitive as anyone’s.

Bad team performances like Saturday’s will happen, but the club will not compete domestically or in Europe without significant additions, even if the financial burden can be lessened by the return of Andreas Christensen and Bertrand Traore from loan spells at Borussia Monchengladbach and Ajax respectively.

Tiemoue Bakayoko or Romelu Lukaku would not have avoided defeat at Wembley, but the defeat and relative indifference in 2017 should serve as a stark wake up call for a club that must be ruthless in this window.

Chelsea and Arsenal have not met in an FA Cup final since 2002. The Gunners were victorious that day, with each club having enjoyed numerous Wembley successes since. Didier Drogba has dominated this fixture in the 2000s, but the Ivorian is now no more than a nightmare for Arsenal.

Antonio Conte’s Chelsea are Premier League champions and are shooting for a double on Saturday. Arsenal, meanwhile, remain a club on the cusp of turmoil. Stan Kroenke is a man criticised frequently, Arsene Wenger’s future is unknown and key players are yet to sign on the dotted line.

With defenders missing and off the back of an underwhelming campaign, Arsenal are underdogs. Strong underdogs at that, too, with Wenger a man splitting opinion. Everything can change under the arch, and Arsenal have a good recent record at Wembley, but Chelsea are a fearsome unit led by a manager a driven as anyone in the game.

The man-to-man duels could decide this encounter. We don’t want controversy, we don’t want it to be decided on a foolish red card, we want a classic final showdown. These three matchups will be crucial if that is to happen…

Gianluca Vialli, Claudio Ranieri, Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto di Matteo and Antonio Conte. Chelsea adore Italians.

Roman Abramovich flitted with Barcelona imitation, but when that fell short, the Italian norm returned. Vialli was widely admired, Ranieri loved as the nicest man in the sport, Ancelotti brought dazzling football and a double, Di Matteo finally delivered that elusive Champions League and now Conte could produce a double of his own.

Chelsea have only won one double in their 112 year history. Ancelotti’s team in 2010 scored more goals than anyone has done in the Premier League era and entertained throughout as they teamed power with exceptional talent. Irrepressible at times, that team is one of the best in recent memory. It was a joy to watch as stalwarts Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard were accompanied by a magnificent Florent Malouda, graceful Nicolas Anelka and destructive Michael Ballack. They wrapped up their title with an 8-0 final day destruction of Wigan. Fitting.

Saturday evening brings Conte’s chance to emulate his journeyman compatriot in completing a debut season double. Conte’s would be all the more remarkable.

Chelsea finished 10^th last season, they were abysmal despite being reigning champions and were a club in turmoil once again. Players were almost universally unrecognisable, controversy rumbled and they were once again being led by a caretaker manager. When Jose Mourinho joined Manchester United, Pep Guardiola joined Manchester City and Conte signed at Stamford Bridge, even a top four finish would have been deemed a stellar campaign.

Fans split over Mourinho’s departure, fans bickered over the role of the players in the sacking of their greatest ever manager. Everything looked bleak.

Then followed a summer transfer window dominated by the pursuit of Kalidou Koulibaly. Left-back was still an issue, and no one knew whether Eden Hazard and Diego Costa in particular would return to their dominant form of 2014/15. The window ended with Michy Batshuayi, Marcos Alonso, N’golo Kante and David Luiz arriving at Stamford Bridge.

Alonso suffered from the Premier League centric thinking that costs English football, Luiz’s harsh reputation went before him, Batshuayi’s price tag sat heavily on his shoulders and Kante’s brilliance at Leicester was yet to be truly accepted. Alonso, Luiz and Kante set about becoming crucial players in a Chelsea team that equalled the league’s consecutive wins record and notched 93 points. Batshuayi was a threat when called upon, but remained on the bench for the most part as Costa’s lack of injuries surprised us all.

Conte glued together a fractured squad, he showed tactical adaptability and reinvigorated careers. It should not be a surprise after a quick glance at his glorious CV, but the Italian picked up a club from the doldrums and charged to an emphatic title.

We may never know quite what happened at Chelsea in 2015/16. Conte, though, found a way to make sure it was a freak blip rather than a startling regression towards upper mid-table suffering. Chelsea could have gone the way of Liverpool and post-Ferguson Manchester United, it was down to Conte that they did not.

Their league dominance makes them clear favourites on Saturday. Fairly so, but it also takes the pressure off. Whatever happens under the arch, Chelsea have had a season far beyond the most optimistic of predictions.

Abramovich craved Chelsea recreating Guardiola’s Barcelona, but the Italian way has so often been the way for the Blues.

Chelsea have enjoyed a fantastic season this term but Antonio Conte’s side face a challenge in the summer to bolster their ranks and prepare for a return to the Champions League next season.

In truth, Chelsea’s squad depth is fairly lacklustre across the board and injury problems this term could have created havoc, had they occurred. Therefore, it would be unwise to run the same risks next season by failing to strengthen.

Whilst Chelsea have been defensively solid and impressive in attack, it turns out that those areas are where the Blues are keen to strengthen most this summer- with star striker Diego Costa looking inevitable to leave, whilst veteran skipper John Terry is also on his way out.

Conte has identified targets already though and these four signings could leave the Blues boasting an exceptional side, as shown by this incredible line-up.

GK: Thibaut Courtois

Chelsea’s goalkeeper is widely regarded to be one of the best in the world and the Blues will face a battle to retain his services in the summer, with Spanish giants Real Madrid reportedly eyeing the Belgian as an alternative to long-term target David De Gea.

Courtois seems loyal to Chelsea though and the Blues would command an audacious fee for any move to materialise, so it seems highly likely that the goalkeeper will remain at Stamford Bridge for the forthcoming Premier League campaign.

Chelsea are on-course for Premier League glory but can hand a huge blow to rivals Manchester United this weekend with a victory. Here, we’ve selected the team Antonio Conte should select to win the match.

GK: Thibaut Courtois

Chelsea’s Belgian stopper has been a mainstay in Antonio Conte’s side throughout the season, starting all 31 Premier League fixtures for the Blues. During that time, Chelsea have kept 13 clean sheets- the highest amount in the division.

The Blues have also conceded just 25 goals in the Premier League, a number only Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United can better, and Courtois has been vastly important to Chelsea’s solid defensive structure.

The game is being shown live on Sky Sports on Sunday afternoon (4pm kick-off UK time) and you can get a NowTV day pass and watch the game for just £6.29 with our fantastic 10% off a day pass offer.

Chelsea’s assault on the Premier League title suffered a major blow this weekend, as a shock defeat to Crystal Palace opened the door for a late charge from their rivals.

The Blues 2-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge to Palace, accompanied by Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-0 victory over Burnley, saw the Lilywhites cut the deficit to seven points and Mauricio Pochettino’s side will be hopeful of a late push towards the title.

Chelsea still boast a comfortable advantage but face a huge test in midweek against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, where defeat could open the door for Spurs to cut the deficit to just four points- and spark a major tussle at the end of the campaign.

The Blues may consider the defeat against Crystal Palace to be a wake-up call and fans on social media are calling for a big change this week, as they’re desperate to see misfiring striker Diego Costa dropped amidst his poor form.

Costa has struggled since having his head turned from interest in China during the January transfer window and his decline of form in front of goal has raised question marks as to whether the title race is really over.

With so much to lose, Costa’s form is a problem and many fans want him to be taught a lesson by being dropped in the coming weeks.

If Conte doesn’t want to bottle this then he must drop Costa now. Play Ruben or Batshuayi or even Hazard upfront I don’t care.

— Foreverblue (@ForeverBlue_07) April 1, 2017

If Conte really Is the winner & killer they everyone says he is he’ll drop Costa vs City.

— 🇨🇦 (@lxwry) April 1, 2017

Drop Costa for a few games and start Michy. I’m confident he’ll do fine, or at least better than how Costa has been doing lately.

— Ꭻ (@KanteleIe) April 1, 2017

Conte should really show some balls and drop Costa for the City game. Costa has taken his place for granted as there’s no competition.

— Foreverblue (@ForeverBlue_07) April 2, 2017

Costa couldn’t do that yesterday, please @ChelseaFC tell conte to drop costa on wednesday

— TK (@TKQHD) April 2, 2017

Conte too scared to drop costa man cba we gonna lose the title because of that

— i (@beardedcesc) April 2, 2017

Hope so but I know he won’t drop costa easily I pray Costa gets injured for the rest of the season https://t.co/4RKwL3YMWM

— Itz_Tj (@Tijjani63527922) April 1, 2017

Chelsea are already the Champions elect this season, but the news of what they might be about to do in the transfer market will have their Premier League rivals scared.

Conte has already assembled a brilliant first XI and it looks as if he is going to strengthen it further with some key summer signings. Here’s a look at how his side could line up next season.

GK - Thibaut Courtois

It goes without saying that Chelsea do not need to replace Courtois between the sticks. With interest from the likes of Real Madrid, they may have to ensure that the Belgian international is not tempted by a move elsewhere this summer, but should Conte make Chelsea Premier League winners again, why would he want to be anywhere else?

Chelsea are in with a chance of finally signing Antonio Conte’s number one transfer target.

According to The Metro, if Massimo Allegri remains at Juventus, then star defender Leonardo Bonucci could be looking to leave because of their poor relationship. The duo recently fell out on the touchline during a match and reports suggest that they have failed to recover from this event.

Allegri’s future is up in the air himself, but he does have a contract beyond this season at Juventus currently and it is looking more likely that the Arsenal and Barcelona target will remain in charge of the Italian Champions next season.

According to Yahoo, Bonucci is prepared to leave Juventus for the Premier League with Chelsea and Manchester City heavily interested, but the former favourites for his signature. Bonucci would almost certainly break the world transfer record for a defender.

How would Bonucci fit in?

Wonderfully. The Italian would thrive in Conte’s 3-4-3 system and probably replace Gary Cahill. Alongside Luiz and Azpilicueta, Chelsea would perhaps have the best central defence in the whole of Europe. A man with Bonucci’s experience would need very little time to settle in, despite moving to a new league. He’s worked under Conte before too, so the manager would be able to handle his implementation into the team with ease.

How likely is this?

We know Conte is a big fan of Bonucci and he tried to sign him during his first window in charge. Instead, Conte got David Luiz, and that’s turned out pretty well, but I have no doubt that if Bonucci were to come on the market, then Conte would do everything in his power to add him to what is already an extremely resolute Chelsea rearguard.

I think if Allegri stays at Juventus and Chelsea are prepared to spend like they normally are, then there’s every chance of this deal happening in the summer.

How much would he cost?

As I say, it would certainly break the world transfer record for a defender, I think Juventus wouldn’t listen to anything less than £60million, which seems a lot for a 29-year-old, but remember how much they spent on Gonzalo Higuain and how much they managed to sell Paul Pogba for. Bonucci is more integral to Juventus than Pogba ever was. The club will be desperate for him to stay and as well as paying a lot of money, Chelsea will have to hope that Bonucci forces the move, otherwise Juve will keep him at the club.

A crushing 3-0 defeat at Arsenal prompted Antonio Conte to switch to a 3-4-3 formation, and to say it has worked in Chelsea’s favour is an understatement. The Blues sit top of the Premier League and have won every single league game since that Arsenal defeat. Here are three reasons why Chelsea’s 3-4-3 is so hard to play against.

1) They can defend extremely well

You only have to look at Chelsea’s defensive record since Antonio Conte’s switch to the 3-4-3 system to see just how well Chelsea can defend. Since the switch eight games ago, the Blues have conceded just two goals, one against Spurs a week ago, and one against Chelsea yesterday. They did go on a run of six games without conceding a goal.

The wing-backs are so important to the Chelsea system, and when needed they can drop back in to make a back five when Chelsea are under a lot of pressure. This can be used to frustrate teams, and catch them on the break, and it was a masterclass in counter-attacking football on Saturday from Conte’s side, with two of their three goals coming from quick breaks.

Admittedly, Chelsea were a little lucky to concede just the one goal. Sergio Aguero nearly capitalised on a poor back-pass, and Kevin De Bruyne somehow managed to miss a sitter. Nevertheless, Chelsea have let in just eleven goals this season, boasting the second best defensive record in the top flight.

It may seem as though José Mourinho has a grudge match scheduled for every weekend these days, but this one is truly eye-catching. The Portuguese manager returns to Stamford Bridge on Sunday, only this time he’ll be sitting in the opposing dugout, as Chelsea welcome his Manchester United side.

Just how fractious Mourinho’s decision to join a competitive rival has been for his relationship with his former club remains to be seen, as both teams go head-to-head in what undoubtedly looks to be the main event this weekend.

We’re not sure whether there’ll be any love lost, be we think we may have a pretty good idea where the crucial three points may be won on either side. Here are the three key battles to look out for:

1 - David Luiz vs. Zlatan Ibrahimovic

John Terry may well be on the brink of a return to the first-team after a spell out injured, but time will tell whether the Man United game comes too soon for the Chelsea skipper.

In his absence, David Luiz has deputised, somewhat unconvincingly next to Gary Cahill in the big games, and he could well find his stint in the starting XI extending itself for another week if Terry isn’t fit enough to start.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic often combats with the right-sided defender, in this case Gary Cahill, but it’ll be interesting to see if Mourinho instructs the big Swede to target his former Paris Saint-Germain teammate.

Contrarily, Chelsea may use Luiz’s knowledge on the fiery Swede when formulating a defensive duo in light of Terry’s potential return.

As a result of the crushing 3-0 defeat away at Arsenal, Antonio Conte decided that it was time for a change at Chelsea following a defensive horror show at the Emirates that saw the game all-but over in the first period.

In different managerial jobs, for example Juventus and Italy, we have seen Conte setup his teams with three at the back, and up until after the game away at Arsenal, Chelsea had been playing with four at the back.

Conte’s three at the back system made its Chelsea debut away at Hull City, where the Blues recorded a solid 2-0 win and went away with all three points. Three defenders were also deployed against Leicester City at the weekend, and it was another win for Chelsea, this time with a strong 3-0 victory over the champions at Stamford Bridge.

In short, Conte’s system has had an almost instant impact since the change with two wins from two. The switch has certainly benefited winger Eden Hazard, and Conte will be glad to see the Belgian playing some of his best stuff again.

However, in the two games that Conte has played his three at the back system, Chelsea have come up against a couple of teams that are seriously under-performing. For starters, we saw Hull concede six away at Bournemouth on Saturday as their defensive woes continue. They look far from the team they were in the first few games of the season.

Then we look at Leicester, who are somehow managing to defend their title worse than Chelsea did last season under Jose Mourinho. Losing Kante over the summer was a huge blow for Ranieri’s side, and they look far from the title-winning side that they were last season. To be perfectly honest, a 3-0 win in the Blues’ favour was something that I was not surprised at all by.

On Sunday, Chelsea come up against Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United in the Portuguese manager’s return to Stamford Bridge. Although United have not been at their best this season, I feel that they will be a lot more disciplined and a lot harder to break down that Hull and Leicester.

You get the feeling in the build-up to the match that Mourinho will set his team up in a slightly negative fashion that will look to catch Chelsea on the counter-attack, inviting Chelsea pressure. I feel that it is only after we have observed what happens in the match against Manchester United that we can judge how successful the formation change at Chelsea has really been and whether it really is the way forward.

Sitting seventh going into the international break, the Chelsea’s start to the season has been fairly unsatisfactory, and it has been reported that manager Antonio Conte is planning a major overhaul of the squad over the next couple of transfer windows.

The Telegraph report that Roman Ambramovic is willing to give Conte the funds he needs to complete this squad overhaul, including funding a spectacular £60m move for Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci, who they will attempt to land in the January window.

Chelsea fell to a disappointing 3-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal a couple of week ago, in what was nothing short of a defensive horror show from a Chelsea point of view, sparking the plans of a major squad overhaul. The Blues kept a clean sheet at Hull at the weekend in a 2-0 win, but the former Juventus and Italy manager is still set to go ahead with his plans.

The Telegraph also claim that Juventus and Inter Milan officials were in London this week, but they are unsure whetehr this was regarding the transfer of Bonucci and Marcelo Brozovic, who Chelsea also have eye on.

Conte fielded a team with a back three on Saturday, and it is understood that this is system Conte will want to play in the long run at Stamford Bridge, but feels that he has to dip into the transfer market and acquire the players that will suit this system.

Leonardo Bonnuci has previously worked with Conte on two occasions, once while Conte was at the helm at Juventus, and also when he took charge of the Italian national team. The Juventus man is more than used to playing Antonio Conte’s three at the back system, and would be viewed by Conte as one of the best possible signings Chelsea could make.

So how does Bonnuci compare in the statistics department to other defenders at Chelsea? Looking at the stats from this season of Bonnuci, Gary Cahill, David Luiz and John Terry. The latter has won the least tackles with just 0.25 per game, followed by Bonnuci, who makes 0.8 successful tackles per game. Gary Cahill makes a fraction more with 0.86 per game, but David Luiz makes the most with 1.33 per game.

Bonnuci wins the least of his total duels with 40.63%, then come David Luiz and John Terry with 42% and 48% respectively. Gary Cahill leads the way, winning 61.9% of his total duels.

Cahill also tops the pile in tackles lost, losing just 0.57 per game. Luiz and Terry lost around 1.3 per game, and Bonnuci loses the most tackles, on average, 1.60 lost tackles per game.

However, Bonnuci does make the most interceptions per game than the rest of the defensive quartet. He makes on average three per game, whereas Luiz makes two, Cahill 1.57, and Terry just 0.5.

Looking at those statistics, is Bonnuci worth £60m? Certainly not in my opinion. However, his experience of working with Conte could prove to be invaluable as the manager looks to guide Chelsea to domestic and continental success in the next few season.

Would signing Bonnuci at £60m be a good move for Chelsea?

Two games in and we’re yet to see that tactical inventiveness promised by Italy’s performances under Antonio Conte being replicated at Stamford Bridge. Logically, it’s very much early days for ‘Project Conte’, meanwhile the most important thing for Chelsea was always to get their season underway on the right foot, which was managed with two victories in two.

The new Blues boss will know the squad’s limitations after the experiments of pre-season, suggesting in hindsight that he’s right, if his plans are to truly shake up Chelsea tactically, to introduce his ideas gradually. Just the two signings so far this summer won’t have helped the transition either, but that could all change in the final days of the transfer window. Here are three moves Chelsea should look to make:

1 - Ricardo Rodriguez

Club: Wolfsburg
Position: Left Back

The plea for the arrival of a new left back has been among those heard the loudest at Stamford Bridge, with the involvement of Branislav Ivanović proving to be central to demands.

After last season’s dip in form, questions regarding the Serbian’s suitability to a full back role have circulated, with Chelsea fans hoping César Azpilicueta’s days as a left back are also over in order for him to revert back to Ivanović’s current position.

With Baba Rahman being loaned out to Schalke 04, the Blues have no other alternative for the left side of defence, excluding young Ola Aina, who has played there sporadically at youth level.

Chelsea are reportedly interested in Ricardo Rodriguez, whereas claims also suggest the Wolfsburg full back holds a mutual interest in a move to west London.

With rumours of a fee circulating the £22 million mark, Rodriguez’s addition would see Chelsea bolster their defence, meanwhile also signing a player technically adept to playing the wing back role in Conte’s infamous 3-5-2 system - all for a reasonable price in today’s market.

Chelsea’s new boss Antonio Conte enters the Premier League scene under somewhat of a baptism of fire, hosting West Ham United in a London derby on Monday night.

The former Juventus manager can take confidence away from the fact that the Hammers haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since September 2002, whereas West Ham are unbeaten under Slaven Bilić versus the Blues after last season’s results. Here are three key battles to look out for as two London heavyweights come head-to-head:

1 - Gary Cahill vs. Andy Carroll

There’s a lot riding on big Andy Carroll come Monday night, with the English striker scoring twice in the two games against Chelsea in the 2015/16 season.

Carroll also comes into the clash on good form, hitting a brace versus Juventus in their opening ceremony of the Olympic Stadium, which spells danger for the likes of Gary Cahill and John Terry.

Of the two English centre backs, the ex-Bolton Wanderers man has often appeared as the weakest link in the past couple of seasons and remains the most likely defender to drop out of the Chelsea XI should they land someone like Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly.

It’s plausible that Carroll, often targeting spaces between centre backs and full backs from crosses, will opt to fall on Cahill’s side rather than the aerially accomplished Terry.

A lot has been made of Ola Aina potentially dethroning Branislav Ivanović at right back, but with the threat posed by Carroll, the Serbian’s presence should aid Cahill.

After weeks of gruelling preparation, the time has come for us all to second guess the form of the Premier League’s finest and compile them into our very own fantasy football team. In direct reference to the Premier League’s official instalment of fantasy football, here are Fresh Football’s top five heavyweights for you to swear by in the upcoming season:

1 - David De Gea

Position: Goalkeeper
Club: Manchester United
Price: £5.5m

Fans know exactly what to expect with José Mourinho – watertight defences. Manchester United’s defence didn’t do so badly last season under Louis van Gaal, conceding the least amount of goals all campaign with 35, but when their goal was peppered, David De Gea was there to rescue his team.

The Spain number one has collected three of Manchester United’s Player of the Year awards on the bounce, such is his prominence, and we can expect the former Atlético Madrid man to again be central to any success the Red Devils may have.

Mourinho’s twist on things comes with the added peace of mind for the Spaniard (and fans) that the experiments of defensive midfielders at centre back are, supposedly, long gone, with Man United likely to settle for a duo of Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly for now.

To add to the familiar surroundings set at the heart of defence, Mourinho has a track record of managing excelling goalkeepers. In each of his first seasons at Chelsea (2004/05 & 2013/14), the Portuguese boss’ re-organisation of the defence led to Petr Čech claiming the Premier League’s Golden Glove award for the most clean sheets in both campaigns, as Thibaut Courtois missed out on the gong by two clean sheets in his title-winning season of 2014/15.

The price of goalkeepers are all within close proximity of each other, but if you find yourself with the need to relinquish the Man United goalkeeper for whatever reason, Leicester City’s Kasper Schmeichel, Hugo Lloris from Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City’s Jack Butland could all be interesting bets.

Chelsea’s squad is set for a new look next summer and a new manager. With Antonio Conte all but confirmed as the new man in charge, we take a look at the four big name signings he reportedly wants to make.

1) Leonardo Bonucci

With John Terry set to leave Chelsea in the summer, Conte’s first task will be to find a mature leader to marshal his defence. Few meet those requirements more aptly than Juventus defender Bonucci. Statistically Boncuci is behind both Terry and Cahill in terms of tackles won, blocks made and aerial duels won per 90 minutes. In fact he is only ahead of both players in terms of interceptions, making on average 2.57 per 90 minutes. Considering these stats and his potential price tag, is he the right man to bring in? However he is an experienced, strong and tall defender with over 55 caps for Italy and he is at the perfect age for a defender (28). Statistics can be warped because the players play in different environments. Conte knows a lot about Bonucci having worked with him most recently as the Italy manager, so if he believes he will be an improvement for Chelsea, then his judgement is likely to be a good one.