Euro 2016: Cesc Fabregas warns Antonio Conte to start focusing on Chelsea job as Spain prepare for Italy clash
Midfield star admits the Azzurri will be tough to beat as he reveals details of private chat with the incoming Blues boss
CESC FABREGAS has warned new Chelsea manager Antonio Conte that Spain are ready to send Italy crashing out of Euro 2016.
Conte’s Azzurri have been hugely impressive so far despite suffering a shock 1-0 defeat to the Republic of Ireland in their final group game.
Italy’s experienced three-man defence kept clean sheets against the attacking talents of Belgium and Sweden, and Vicente del Bosque knows his side face a tough task after finishing second behind Croatia.
But Conte will embark on a new chapter in his career if Italy suffer defeat on Monday evening, with the vacant manager’s chair at Stamford Bridge awaiting his arrival.
And Fabregas admits he hopes Conte can start to fully focus on his new job next week as Spain aim to make up for their dismal World Cup 2014 performance.
The experienced playmaker also revealed he’s talked with Conte about the Italian’s plans for Chelsea next season, : “I met Conte briefly and he made a very good impression.
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“He is a great coach, a winner. He told me what he wants from me, what he wants to do at Chelsea and various other things that will remain private.
“I really want to start working with him. Now I hope he can get to work at Chelsea as soon as possible. Hopefully from Tuesday he can concentrate on his new job.
“I sort of knew about Conte before our meeting. I like his Juventus and obviously had the followed the victories, but it wasn’t a team I watched every single week.
“Now I’ve studied them more carefully and I liked what I saw. He did a great job with the national team too, so I am very confident. I see he has created a great team unit with Italy.
“It might be missing your classic individual talents like Alessandro Del Piero or Francesco Totti, plus it lost Claudio Marchisio and Marco Verratti to injury, but it is a very compact group.
“That has always been one of the strengths and today it is true more than ever. From the outside, it seems as if Conte chose a definitive group to go all the way and they are all following him.”
