At a time when Antonio Conte appears to be in danger of losing power, the Italian has chosen to exert his authority at Stamford Bridge.
The decision to omit David Luiz from the squad for Chelsea’s win against Manchester United could not have sent a more public message that he remains very much in charge.
Luiz is believed to have paid a heavy price for questioning the Chelsea coach’s tactics last week.
However long his reign in west London lasts, no one can accuse the 48-year-old Italian of being afraid to take on the dressing room.
Some Chelsea managers during the Roman Abramovich era have paid the price for doing too little to curb players’ influence on the boardroom, some too much.
"However long his reign lasts, no one can accuse the Italian of being afraid to take on the dressing room"
It is a hard balance to find and one suspects Conte is fully aware of the fine line he is treading in handling Luiz so ruthlessly.
But then this is the second occasion in 2017 that he has decided to take on a popular Brazilian within Chelsea’s squad.
At the start of the year, his patience with Diego Costa also ran out and he made it clear the 28-year-old striker was no longer part of his plans.
Just like Luiz yesterday, Costa was left out of a match that was being broadcast on television - an away game at Leicester.
A marriage of convenience followed for the rest of the campaign, with Costa being brought back into the fold to help win the Premier League but the divorce had been set in stone and he is now at Atletico Madrid.
Conte was able to act from a position of strength back then because the club led the title race.
The treatment of Luiz, however, comes at a period where Conte and Chelsea are under pressure to secure a top-four place.
source : eveningstandard
No comments:
Post a Comment