Chelsea squad pay heed on Antonio conte

A glimpse inside Camp Conte is all it takes to reveal the obsessive attention to detail which drives the man who is set to become Chelsea’s next manager.

Antonio Conte’s levels of control and micro-management are plain to see in the dining area of the Italy team, inside the Centro Tecnico Federale di Coverciano, here in Florence.

As players approach the various food stations they are bombarded with messages and instructions printed large on 14 posters around the walls by the manager.

Italy head coach Antonio Conte speaks to his players during a training session in Florence on Tuesday 

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Antonio Conte’s levels of control and micro-management has become the stuff of legend in Italy 

ANTONIO CONTE FACTFILE  

PLAYING CAREER

Lecce: 1985-1991

Juventus: 1991 - 2004

COACHING CAREER

Arezzo: 2006 - 2007

Bari: 2007 - 2009

Atalanta: 2009- 2010

Siena: 2010- 2011

Juventus: 2011 - 2014

Italy: 2014-16

TITLES

Juventus: Serie A (2012, 2013, 2014)

They are advised how to eat their protein, fat and carbohydrates, and reminded of the benefits of a healthy diet for an elite athlete. They are also encouraged to supplement their meal with snacks from the pots of rhodiola rosea and dried goji berries.

Rhodiola rosea is a traditional Chinese medicine turned nutritional supplement, taken from the root of a flowering plant which grows in cold climates, and is sometimes known as ‘the golden root’.

It is purported to enhance strength and endurance, and alleviate mental fatigue and altitude sickness, among other things. It is said to have been first used by sherpas to climb Mount Everest.

Goji berries are a slightly more common ingredient for the English consumer, having recently appeared on supermarket shelves as a newly acclaimed super-fruit capable of helping to fight off all manner of ailments.

One of Conte’s messages on the wall reads: ‘When motivated and high-level athletes compete, the margin between victory and defeat is very small. So when everything else is similar, nutrition can make the difference.’

Another advises players to ‘start the day with a healthy breakfast,’ before it goes on to explain that an insufficient breakfast will damage the reserves of glucose in the muscles and slow liver function, which can in turn affect the brain and hinder performance. 

‘To avoid this, make sure of protein+ fat+carbohydrate and more of the same macro nutrients,’ says another poster, printed on headed paper, blown up to A3 size and taped to the walls close to where the players get their food.

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Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon signs autographs for fans after his side's training session 

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Conte barks some orders from the sideline during Italy's clash with Norway at the Stadio Olimpico in October 

Photographs of all these messages were captured last year and published in Italian newspapers, after which security and access to the dining room was suddenly tightened.

Conte has a reputation for secrecy. Since taking over as Italy boss two years ago, he has increased the number of training sessions which are held behind closed doors and rarely allows media or the public to see him at work.

He even went to the trouble of erecting high netting along one side of the training camp to obscure the view, because he thought reporters had been spying on his sessions from flats which overlooked the pitches.

And yet he invited selected media into a private tactical session — after ordering them to leave their phones and cameras behind at the gate — in order to help them understand what he was trying to do with the Italy team.

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Jose Mourinho's coaching methods were infamous at Chelsea, but Conte will bring a similar level of intensity 

The 46-year-old was already known for his exacting standards from his time at Juventus. He enjoyed great success, winning the Italian title three years in succession. Now his focus is trained on Euro 2016, before he moves back into club football, with Stamford Bridge his predicted next stop.

Chelsea’s players will find him intense and demanding and indifferent to their various degrees of fame or status.

Conte is popular, emotional and fiery. He is not likely to tolerate a dressing room of competing egos, which may well be one of the reasons his style appeals to Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich.

Paul Pogba was already on the way to becoming one of the stars of his Juve team when he turned up a few minutes late for a team meeting and was dropped from the squad for a game at Pescara in November 2012.

Mario Balotelli is not in the Italy squad for friendlies against Spain and Germany and faces the prospect of missing out on Euro 2016.

Conte spends hours with his players in front of video analysis, rewinding tapes until they understand precisely what he is after, and drills his team through patterns of play — 11-against-none — on the training pitch. He expects them to commit to his methods or move on.

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Conte has not included Mario Balotelli in his squad to face Spain and Germany later this month  

If Chelsea players thought Jose Mourinho was freakishly relentless and intense, then they have seen nothing yet.

The writing is on the wall. Not only in the dining room.