'I Can't Thank Him Enough' - Antonio Conte Reveals The Blues Player Who Helped Him A Lot At Chelsea

Chelsea captain John Terry and manager Antonio Conte won the Premier League title in the latter's first season in charge

Antonio Conte has revealed the phasing out of John Terry during his title-winning first season was a simple process because of the Chelsea legend's professionalism.

Michy Batshuayi's late goal at West Brom confirmed the Blues as champions exactly three years ago on Tuesday, with Terry featuring just nine times in the league.


"It was a great privilege for me to be the coach of a Chelsea legend like John Terry," Conte told Sky Sports News in a rare interview.

"We are talking about a top man, a really good man and then a top player. He helped me a lot in my first season in and out of the pitch."

"He was very important in the training ground, during the sessions to keep the concentration standards high."




Antonio Conte says John Terry helped him on and off the pitch in his first season

Terry was given a send-off in front of the Chelsea fans at Stamford Bridge when he was substituted in the 26th minute of the game against Sunderland.

"He decided he wanted this because 26 was his squad number and for me it was a pleasure to give him this opportunity.

"I will never be able to thank him enough. He was very important for me and our team."

Conte pointed to the 4-0 demolition of Manchester United as a key game in the title push in the days he celebrated wildly with the supporters close to the home dugout.






"I live my job in an intense way!" he says when asked about the celebrations.

"Sometimes I show my passion and I want to share my happiness with the fans. I had an amazing relationship with Chelsea fans.

"That game was important for us because when you win 4-0 against a top team it's a boost because we understood very well that we could fight to win the league.

"This game gave us confidence and belief in ourselves and we created a fantastic relationship with our fans."






The Italian was relieved of his managerial duties at Stamford Bridge in the summer of 2018, but can look back on Premier League and FA Cup triumphs.

Antonio Conte has declared himself “satisfied” with what he achieved at Chelsea despite facing a number of challenges in England and being unceremoniously sacked from a high-profile post.

The Italian spent just two seasons in charge of the Blues.

His debut campaign delivered a Premier League title triumph, while his second included an FA Cup success.
Major silverware was not enough to keep him in the job, as he was replaced by countryman Maurizio Sarri, but Conte is able to look back fondly on his time in west London.




He told Sky Sport Italia:

“Chelsea represented a very important experience for my career, as a coach needs to have an experience abroad, dealing with other cultures and languages.

“I am satisfied, we won a Premier League title and played in two FA Cup finals in two years.”

Conte admits he found the going tough in England at times, with there a marked difference between life in the Premier League and that he had grown accustomed to in Serie A.

In the summer of 2016, the forthcoming season was sold as the game's great managerial showdown. Pep Guardiola was coming to the Premier League. Jose Mourinho had returned with Manchester United. It was Jurgen Klopp's first full season at Liverpool, big things were predicted for Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham, and there was always Arsene Wenger.

But the season belonged to Antonio Conte.






It was a total triumph, the title secured with two games to spare. Chelsea won 30 of their 38 matches - a new record at the time. They won 13 in a row at one point, keeping 10 clean sheets in the process. Conte not only showed his motivational skills but also his tactical nous as his Chelsea side became the first to win the Premier League with a 3-4-3 formation.

Few thought it was possible. In fact, none of the Sky Sports pundits tipped Chelsea to win the title that season. Most had them outside of the top four. It was described as a "monster job" for Conte and that too had been the view of outgoing interim manager Guus Hiddink, the man who had steered the club away from the drop zone into a safe 10th-place finish.