Let me first state that the moment SAF retired i was looking and following top managers to see who will suit it the best.
Currently there is like exactly 5 top managers in the world - Klopp, Guardiola, Conte, Simeone and maybe we can count Tuchel to them. Like them or not, this is a proven winner managers. Klopp no doubt is the very best out of them.
Guardiola is operating with tons of money, otherwise count him out, and even with all the money and the way superior squad and all the support he had(his place is never even questioned, so no pressure at all at him), he can't win the CL since Barcelona. And their both CL was due to referee, reference Chelsea, Arsenal.
Simeone is a very defensive type, but he is a proven world class manager that can operate and can handle with not so much money, and can sell/buy players to navigate his team to the top table. One very important thing, that just a very few manager can do is to build a team from the scratch, and he definitely can.
Tuchel last year and this year so far with Chelsea is showing great stuffs. I include him in the last, because of his recent and last year performance.
And the only guy that was available, and so many people as well as our board was against him, for no obvious reason - Antonio Conte.
He is the guy that can make a team that looks terrible to play at top level and win trophies. Proven that with 3 different team. He can build from the scratch and create insanely dangerous team, without having the money or players like Guardiola for example. With his charisma he is making average players, play like a top level ones. But this is just words of a newbie, let me use concrete facts and bust some myths:
The comparison with Jose Mourinho. Whoever make such comparison obviously know very little about football, or just not follow Conte career and style. Firstable with Jose the blame is always on someone else, as far as Conte if the result is bad, he always take the blame.
Style wise they are have nothing in common. Some people on here are saying Conte is playing ugly football, not scoring much goals, not exciting, and all that kind of stuff. Yet this cannot be more far from the true.
A very simple statistics of season 2016-2017.
Chelsea finished 10 in the previous season and no one was giving them chance for anything, and people were saying their squad is washed and done.
Klopp was already at Liverpool for 6 months, City brought Guardiola and was making transfer even before he was appointed with his approval and for his style. And we brought Jose Mourinho with plenty of cash spend before him come, and he also spend plenty of cash.
Chelsea definitely had the worst chances, and people wasn't even bringing them for the top 4 conversation.
He didn't get the player he wanted from the get going, with the exception of Kante and Alonso, which turns out to be a key part of his team build.
He transform them and won the title, while there was team that was in way better position to get it.
Why i bring this ? It's simple.
Guardiola team scored 80 goals and finished 3rd, and Guardiola was awarded with 270mln.
Liverpool scored 78 goals and finished 4th.
We finished 6th and scored just 54 goals. Mourinho then was awarded 200mln. And just to remember he spend like 200mln. And he spend 200mln. when he comes as well.
Chelsea's Conte scored 85 goals, and obviously finished 1st. Only Tottenham scored 1 more goal, and that was due to their last bouts was against relegated team that fought for nothing, and they scored like 20 goals in 4-5 matches.
How is average of 2.23 goals is a bad and defensive football is beyond me, not to mention he managed to outscore the most attacking minded coaches like Guardiola and Klopp.
But let see his seasons at Inter. 81 goals in his first season, and 89 goals(2.34 per match) in his second one in a very tight defensive Serie A. The only team that scored more was Atalanta, and they are highly attacking team, and scored just 1 goal more, but received 47, compare to Inter's 35. Not a comparison at all.
Conte team has a clear and a visible style, unlike what we have now, or what we have under any manager post SAF. His teams are well organized and know exactly well how to organize their attack, and what to do in every second. And while he is very adaptive, he is still using the same style, even when he needs to adapt when he is to face a way better opposition.
And another great thing in him is his transfer. He knows exactly what position and what player he needs.
Kante is a player he wanted, and we all know how that plays out. In Inter he brought players like Hakimi for 40mln., and in 2 years time they sold him for 71mln. Lukaku for 80mln. then sold for 115mln. Not to mention how he turns Inter players around and make a complete jobbers to looks like top levels players. He also can develop great players.
He build Juventus from scratches and make them hegemon in Italy. Develop tons of great players in there, and they later sell them for tons of money.
Here is the facts:
When he took charge in Juventus they were 7th in the league. He made them champions 3 time in a row.
When he took charge in Chelsea, they were 10th in the league. He made them champions straight away.
When he took charge in Inter, they were 4th, 21 points away from the 1st. He finished second just 1 point behind, and next season he made them Champions with 12 points clear lead.
Before he took charge in Juventus, he managed to win Serie B with Bari, and also win a promotion for Siena.
That clearly speaks for itself that he is proven at all levels, and can build team from scratches.
As far as the fallouts with some of the boards i will speak later on this one, cause my post is already too big. I will just say that in the current football, there is no such thing as long term manager or players. It's actually good to refresh the squad in 3-4 years time, cause the current primadonas lose motivation very fast and it's hard to squeeze the best from them any longer.
