Chelsea’s Conte praises overseas influence

Antonio Conte has certainly made a splash in his time so far at Chelsea, leading the Blues to second place in the Premier League and the Italian believes an influx of foreign ideas  is good news for the English top flight.

After an indifferent start, Chelsea have hit sensational form under Conte, putting five goals past Everton in their last game as the former Juventus and Italy coach found his feet in England.

And the 47-year-old believes the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp are bringing in a wealth of ideas that will improve the Premier League, while highlighting his own tactical flexibility since arriving at Stamford Bridge.

(Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

“I think in England something is changing because there are different coaches from different countries and they are bringing new, different ideas and new methods and new philosophies of football, and I think this is very good for the English league,” he said.

“In the pre-season I preferred to work on the concept, on the principles and then you develop the system of play, but I always knew this squad could play with this 3-4-3 system. In my mind there was this possibility.

“I knew the characteristic of the players and for this reason when I spoke to the club and we planned the season, this system was an alternative to the 4-2-4.”