Fabregas: Playing freedom non-existent under Conte
Martin Macdonald
- 19 Nov 2021 09:50 CST
- 3 min read
Former Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas has warned the Tottenham players what to expect from new manage Antonio Conte.
Following the disappointing tenure of Nuno Espirito Santo, Conte was brought in to be the new boss at Spurs, with the club previously attempting to appoint him in the summer before Nuno got the job.
The Italian has enjoyed success at every club he has managed, winning the Scudetto with Juventus and Inter and the Premier League with Chelsea.
He is known for his fierce persona, attention to detail, and rigorous training regimes.
Fabregas, who played under Conte at Chelsea, has revealed that he found the coaching methods difficult at first as he was used to playing with more freedom.
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"I think with Antonio, it was the first time that I’ve seen someone know exactly [what they want] … It was like going to school. I promise you, he will tell you, from the goalkeeper until you have scored a goal, what you have to do, exactly everything," he told CBS Sport.
"Maybe it’s in a different way to how I saw football. At the beginning, it was difficult for me, don’t get me wrong. A lot of running, a lot of intensity. Big sessions, double sessions, gym sessions.
"I had coaches like Pep [Guardiola] who had a lot of positioning game but we had freedom inside of this. With Conte, the freedom was non-existent, he was telling me where I have to pass the ball.
"I’m 29 years old in that moment, I’ve already played for 13 years, I played in every final, I won a lot of things and this guy is telling me where I need to pass the ball.
"I’ve been here a long time, I know everyone and people know me which probably makes people feel a little bit more comfortable in that sense, but the boss and the coaching staff that he’s brought along are top, top people, really professional and hard-working and I’m sure even if I wasn’t here, it would be no different.
Conte's winning mentality
Fabregas insists that he eventually bought in to what Conte was trying to do at Stamford Bridge as his ambition to win became infectious within the squad.
"That winning mentality is contagious – you get sucked into it, you live and breathe in the same way," the Spaniard continued.
"The boss is an ex-player who’s won everything, he’s had a successful career as a player, won many trophies and also in recent years he’s won trophies as a manager as well
"So, that winning mentality that he has and that way that he wants to compete every day, of course I can get on board with that and hopefully that will help everyone to make it a successful time for the football club."
After the departure of previous manager Jose Mourinho in the summer, Conte emerged as one of Tottenham's primary targets, only for negotiations to fall through.
Conte won Serie A in 2020/21 with Inter but left the Nerazzurri after key players Romelu Lukaku and Achraf Hakimi were sold to balance the books.
