'Hammer' Conte set to join Chelsea after EURO

Chelsea's decision to appoint Antonio Conte as their new manager on a three-year contract once he leaves the Italy bench after UEFA EURO 2016 arguably has something to do with his reputation for restoring the fortunes of under-performing teams.

That was exactly what he did after becoming Juventus coach in 2011. The Bianconeri had finished seventh in their previous two Serie A campaigns and were out of Europe completely (a reality Chelsea may face next season). But under Conte, Juventus immediately won the Scudetto without losing a game. Two more titles followed for Juve with their former captain in charge, the third – in 2013/14 – with the Serie A record points tally of 102.

"I am proud to be the coach of the national team of my country and only a role as attractive as manager of Chelsea could follow that," said Conte on his appointment, taking over from interim manager Guus Hiddink for 2016/17.

"A real hammer," was how defender Leonardo Bonucci described Conte, who concentrated on improving the mentality of his players when he first arrived. "We followed him from the start and managed to transfer to the pitch concepts like sacrifice and competitiveness," Bonucci explained.

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"He is tough but a phenomenal coach," Carlos Tévez added. "Every single game really is like a final for him, he is a workaholic and wants to win every game."

Tactically, Conte largely founded his Juventus success on a 3-5-2 system yet showed flexibility within that structure. Indeed, the 3-5-2 itself was evidence that Conte does not attempt to pigeonhole players into unsuitable roles but can adapt to the personnel available – because, before coming to Turin, his favoured formation had been 4-2-4.

"I used two attacking wide men and two strikers," he admitted. "I wanted to do it at Juventus too but didn't have the players suited to this."

The 46-year-old former midfielder took the Italy helm after the Azzurri failed to survive their 2014 FIFA World Cup group, following defeats by Costa Rica and Uruguay. Under his tutelage, Italy have reached UEFA EURO 2016 unbeaten, from a tricky section including Croatia, Norway and Bulgaria. But most importantly, Conte has built a solid unit after the post-World Cup difficulties.

As Azzurri boss, Conte has never hidden his preference for working with a team day in, day out, and emphasised that in his statement on leaving the job. Even so, he is still able to lay down the law at Coverciano, Italy's headquarters, where the restaurant walls are full of notices reminding players what they can and cannot eat.

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"The coach is a perfectionist," Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon said. "A man who believes in discipline and rules. I think he was the only one who could have had the strength to drag us back up from where we were. He has very clear ideas, transmitting them without any possibility of being misunderstood."

Though a precise judgement on Conte's Italy reign will only come after UEFA EURO 2016, the coach has many fans, included Andrea Pirlo. "I am extremely lucky I met Antonio Conte," the midfield maestro wrote in his autobiography.

"When Conte speaks, his words assault you. They crash through the doors of your mind, often quite violently and settle deep within you. I've lost track of the number of times I've found myself saying, 'Hell, Conte said something really spot on again today.'"

"In Italy they call him the Italian Mourinho," Gianluca Vialli noted. "He has the same kind of personality and is a winner as well. His teams play in a very humble way, with humility and a lot of pride. Tactically they are always well prepared."

A comparison that José Mourinho himself accepted. "I like that," he once told Italian newspaper Tuttosport. "I feel honoured. He knows what he wants and is a real winner."

Chelsea fans will hope Conte can have the same impact Mourinho did back in 2004.