Conte: Coaching is a vocation

Juventus’ Scudetto-winning tactician Antonio Conte believes he was always destined to be a Coach, right from his early days as a youth team player.

The 42-year-old, who led Siena to promotion to the top flight last summer, this season guided Juve to their first official Italian League title for nine years, as confirmed at the weekend.

In an interview due out tomorrow in Italian publication Sette, the former midfielder reflected on his transition from player to Coach, revealing that he always intended to make the jump.

“I want to continue to grow, to surprise myself and others. Juventus is not a point of arrival. Everything for me is a starting point,” enthused Conte, first off.

“I never thought that I would be a great player, but I always knew I would become a Coach. Already when at Lecce in the primavera when I played, I coached my brother’s team. It was a vocation. I am inclined to address, to have a method, to lead a team and to make the decisions.

“I don’t scream on the touchline, but I do get heard. And in the midst of 60,000 people that can be difficult. I’m in continuous contact with my players. They must feel me. They know I am always with them.”

Conte opened up on how he felt Giovanni Trapattoni influenced his development. Trapattoni coached Conte as a player at Juventus in the early 1990s.

“He was like a father to me. He understood my difficulties. He stayed with me after training to help improve my technique.”

The Coach reflected on the reduced role Alessandro Del Piero has played under him this season.

“He is a champion who has given me so much. Outside and inside the playing field. He behaved well and again this year is being rewarded. I never selected players by age, but according to what I saw each week [in training], I think about what I can give the players and only about winning.”
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I always knew and saw Conte as Trappattoni