Showing 10 of 21 quotes
There is already good organisation at Chelsea, but at Milan, it was about prevention rather than treatment. We want to integrate some of the things we had at Milan here. Some people are surprised when they hear that we solved David Beckham's back problem by fixing his teeth, for example, but we will look at everything. ”
When I arrived at Juventus as the manager in 1999, Antonio Conte was the captain of the club, an Italy international, and a player who had a lot of influence in the dressing room - and when I needed a leader in the team, he was the obvious choice. ”
At the start of my two years at Juventus, I had big plans for the club, but it turned out that the Intertoto Cup was the only medal in my desk drawer when finally they told me to pack my bags. We started the first season really well, and Conte was so important for me. ”
I think it's actually more difficult to come to a club where everything is going great and everyone is happy. When you take over from a guy who has been sacked because things weren't going well, it's more straightforward. ”
I have a lot of power. Here, I can decide: training at six in the morning! Training 11 in the night! But my style is not to impose. I would like to convince the players of what they are doing. This takes more time. ”
In Italy, football is too important. There is more pressure on coaches, teams, directors. Now is not a good moment for football in Italy. The stadiums are not full. There are problems with violence; it's very difficult with the ultras. People don't go to the stadium just to enjoy 90 minutes of football. People go to the stadium to fight, to win. ”
I like to be funny. I can't stay all the time focused, disciplined, controlled. Behaviour like that is impossible. If the players are too nervous before a game, I have to relax them, calm them. ”
You, as a manager, are judged on results and not on the work you do and the performance of the team. Imagine paying a guy a huge amount of money and then judging him not on the things he can control, but on those he can't. ”
The owner or president is the person who controls the club. The coach's job is to keep him happy. But the key to success, as a manager, is your relationship with the players. Important clubs and important players succeed when the environment is correct. The players must enjoy their work and feel free to express their talents. ”
I started this job in 1995, and I felt the same pressure in my first day, with my first team, Reggiana, in the Second Division, as I feel now. Nothing has changed, but what changes are the number of games, especially for top teams. For this reason, the work has pressure. But only this. ”