Antonio Conte reminds Jose Mourinho that the Portuguese is Chelsea’s past while he is their future ahead of Stamford Bridge showdown
Manchester United and Chelsea clash on Sunday in the Premier League
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ANTONIO CONTE has told Jose Mourinho ahead of his Stamford Bridge return: You are history.
The Chelsea boss did not once utter the name Mourinho this week as he prepared for Sunday’s visit of the Special One’s Manchester United.
Conte wants to build his own legacy so that in a decade Blues fans will talk about him in the same regard when it comes to winning trophies.
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And although Mourinho will surely get a good reception from the fans, his Italian successor wants the focus to be on now and the future . . . not the past.
He said: “Sure, sure, Jose was a very important manager in the history of this club. But together with the players, I hope to work with this club for many years, to build something important.
“I repeat, for the present and future. It’s important to have time to work and build. It’s important now to work hard and build something of importance.”
Time is not something Russian owner Roman Abramovich usually affords his managers.
He has gone through a staggering ELEVEN different bosses in 13 years and, of course, sacked Mourinho TWICE.
Asked if it might take a while to bring success back to Chelsea, Conte said: “Yes, but when I signed my contract here it was for three years. In my mind it was to stay here for three years and build, with the club, a success.”
But surely even Conte will understand privately that anything less than Champions League qualification this season will be seen as a failure by trigger-happy Abramovich.
And failure to win anything by the end of next season would probably see him join Mourinho as part of Chelsea’s past.
Probably wanting to divert pressure away from himself, Conte did not want to be drawn on whether or not he believed the Blues could win the Premier League title this season.
He said: “In my mind, it’s about always to give the maximum in the work.
“Then, when you give your maximum in work — you, the players, the staff — then it’s important but not the most important thing, if you win or arrive second, third, fourth or fifth.
“It’s important to give the maximum of myself. That’s the most important thing. Only one team wins the title. You must understand always the situation.
“You work, build then see at the end of the season. I have to go to my house with my conscience clear that I gave my all.”
Conte has steadied Chelsea after Premier League defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal with wins over Hull and champions Leicester.
And he has reverted to a 3-4-3 formation with David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta playing as the back three.
There is a school of thought that playing three at the back is the best system for Conte’s style as he was successful with it at Juventus, winning three Serie A titles.
But the former Italy boss is keen to press home that he is no one-trick pony.
He said: “I won two championships with 4-2-4 with Bari and Siena.
“Then I started that system with Juventus, then went to 4-3-3 and eventually arrived at 3-5-2 because I had players better adapted for that system.
“It’s important for the coach to understand the right fit. Then you find the right solution.
“But it’s not my ‘preferred’ system. My preferred system is the one that permits my team to win.”
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Captain John Terry is fit and available today after recovering from an ankle injury that kept him out for six weeks.
But despite JT going on record as saying he does not like playing in a back three, Conte says the Chelsea hero is signed up to his idea.
He said: “He can play in that position with three. We’re working with him. It’s important to work, to work a lot, as it’s not easy, it’s different to playing with two central defenders. But I’m having a good response on this aspect.”
Terry is likely to be on the bench today but Conte says he will still have a vital role regardless of whether he starts or not.
And he added: “He stays in this club many, many years. He deserves great respect.
“For me, he’s a great help. When I call him to start the game, then if he doesn’t start the match he’s still an important player for us.
“On the pitch, the changing room. When you are captain, you have a lot of commitment.”