Gary
Neville has highlighted Antonio Conte's assured managerial style, his team's
solid spine and their unflappable consistency after Chelsea were confirmed
as Premier League champions.
The top-flight pacesetters secured their fifth league crown with a 1-0
victory at West Brom on Friday night, sealed by Michy Batshuayi's late
strike.
And, speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast at The Hawthorns, the Sky Sports
pundit outlined his reasons for Chelsea's triumph.
"You can see the camaraderie that exists between Antonio Conte and his
players," Neville said. "Last season, Jose Mourinho's team look
disinterested but they've re-engaged with the club, the manager, the system
and the style of play.
"The players have benefitted from the free weeks of training. You can
imagine the hours and hours of shape; a very methodical way of working. When
you try something on the training pitch and it comes to fruition on a
Saturday, the players start to trust you and it builds confidence.
"It doesn't take a lot for our cameras to make a manager look a little
panicky and nervous. Earlier on in the season, Pep Guardiola was looking
like a confident manager and Conte looked a little bit ruffled. Then, all of
a sudden, it started to turn, with Pep starting to look a bit more ruffled
while Conte looked like a genius.
"Conte has found a system and found a group of players who stay fit. They've
got consistency - they've had the reliability throughout with the same back
five and goalkeeper, the same midfield and the same front three.
"I've never seen a team win the Premier League without strength and power.
Costa, Matic, Kante, David Luiz, Cahill - that spine is strong. It withstood
the onslaught that West Brom posed, but it can also break down more subtle
teams.
"They can play different types of games and adapt. They looked like
champions halfway through the season as I didn't see any weaknesses. They've
built relationships - that will be challenged next season but now's not the
time to talk about that.
"It's time to glorify what Chelsea have achieved. You can win all the cups
you want, but there's nothing like winning the Premier League title. It has
to be a priority."
The next challenge for any title-winning team is to retain their crown - a
bridge which proved too far for Jose Mourinho's champions in 2015/16.
In addition to that, Neville also believes Conte has to establish a bigger,
stronger squad capable of competing in Europe alongside their title defence
next season.
Asked if Chelsea needed to improve their squad, Neville added: "That's the
challenge for next season.
"It's a big job to do - Conte's got an 11, but he's not got a 22. The drop
from the number one position to the number two position is high."
Having seen his adaptation to Premier League football though, Neville
believes Conte's infectious, tenacious attitude and will to win leaves him
well equipped for the challenges ahead.
"Conte can coach very well, he coaches to win," Neville said. "I don't see
him bragging about his philosophy or his values - I just see him thinking
about winning. He has the eyes of a winner.
"He would compromise his values and philosophies to win. All the
championship winning managers have that about them. Conte is fantastic, he's
delivered results in different countries. He's proven himself in England.
"He didn't have the system right earlier in the season but he found a way to
get the players to get behind him. It's not easy to blend players together.
"It's hard for them to get behind you and not use you as a scapegoat. He
should enjoy and revel in one of the greatest moments you can have in
football in this country."
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