Antonio’s post-Burnley press conference was as volatile as the Turf Moor weather, with the 52-year-old pulling no punches. You’ve watched the video, and read all the quotes, by now. Suffice to say, the content became the football big story of the week and left most fans desperately wanting the next installment of The Conte Show.
In a curious twist, two football outlets have opted to interpret the quotes from Conte as being as bad as they sounded.
For talkSPORT, Simon Jordan branded the current Spurs gaffer as childish, and said the rant was “temperamental and reactionary… it was deeply unprofessional.”
Paul Jiggins for The Sun revealed that he understood Daniel Levy loved Conte’s passion, and it was just a case of letting off steam.
Neither of these suggestions sits well with me.
I take a view that when a manager states that it isn’t about simply taking his salary and that changing the managers but not the players are suffocating the squad’s development, then there is a serious problem.
Conte’s words were delivered in a pragmatic and self-deprecating manner, whilst effortlessly calling out the ENIC business model. As with Mourinho, there would appear a section of the football press who are fundamentally incapable of crediting managers with stellar CVs with any self-respect at all.
Maybe, before the Leeds game, Antonio will apologize, telling us he was just a bit tired after the Burnley game and that he overreacted. That will be it…