Fabio Capello has seemingly confirmed that Antonio Conte will be the next manager of Chelsea, though warned that he will not be protected by the Blues.
Conte is currently in charge of the Italian national side, having taken over from Cesare Prandelli following the Azzurri’s disastrous 2014 World Cup group stage.
With reports suggesting that Conte will soon be hired by Chelsea, his only tournament as an international boss is set to be this summer’s European Championships in France.
The 46-year-old led Italy to Euro 2016 via an unbeaten qualification campaign, in which he oversaw seven wins in 10 games.
According to Capello, Conte will indeed join the Blues this summer.
However, he believes that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich will set high targets for the new boss, and the environment will be unforgiving if Conte does not meet the lofty expectations.
The former Real Madrid and AC Milan manager told Corriere dello Sport: “Congratulations to Conte.
“But Chelsea is a club that does not protect you like Juventus.
“If Abramovich buys five or six players, you cannot finish in fifth place.”
As Capello referred to, Conte’s previous job in club management came at Juventus – a club with whom he won five Serie A titles as a player and three as a coach.
In his final season with the Old Lady, 2013/14, Conte oversaw an incredible 33 wins in 38 league matches.
The stellar side, which included the likes of Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal, also conceded a mere 23 goals – a tally no other side across Europe’s top five divisions could beat.
The Chelsea squad he is set to take over is far below that level of quality. Nine of their first 16 Premier League fixtures this term ended in defeat, in a run which caused the dismissal of Jose Mourinho.
Guus Hiddink has since filled the managerial void on an interim basis, remaining unbeaten in the league, though his side crashed out of the Champions League and FA Cup within the last week.
In the unsuccessful second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie against Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea scored with just one of the nine chances they created, whilst only one of the 15 crosses fired into the box reached a blue shirt.
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