Antonio Conte has admitted that he “suffered” in his personal life last season and says that he feels more settled at Stamford Bridge now that his family have joined him in England.
The Chelsea manager has been linked with a return to Italy since arriving last year and, speaking before Saturday’s match with Crystal Palace, rejected fresh suggestions that he could move on next summer, attributing them to a mistranslated interview. His wife, Elisabetta, and daughter Vittoria are both now living with him in Cobham after remaining in Italy during his first season at the club, and he expanded on the benefits of an improved work-life balance.
“For me to have my family with me is very important,” Conte said. “Last season, honestly, I suffered a lot. When you are in a new country and you are alone, and know that your family don’t stay here, it is not simple. This season I am very happy because my wife and daughter are with me, and for us it is a fantastic experience. I think this is an incredible experience for my daughter and a great gift I am giving her.”
It has provided respite from what increasingly looks a difficult title defence for the Premier League’s fourth-placed side. “This season I am driving here and last season was difficult because when you are alone there is only the work,” he said. “Now there is my job but we also take the car to visit different areas and sometimes go to London or Kingston, or to discover new restaurants.”
Conte’s satisfaction will ease concerns about his future although, in his earlier press conference, he had stopped short of suggesting he would stay beyond the expiry of his contract in 2019 – saying instead that, like any coach, he would “hope to stay for a long time and try to build something important for the club”.
Domestic life may be more straightforward but it has been a tricky week for Conte at Chelsea, who could be deprived of N’Golo Kanté for the next month after he returned from international duty with a hamstring injury. “We don’t have another player with the same characteristics,” Conte said of Kanté, and he will also be missing Álvaro Morata and Danny Drinkwater for the visit to Crystal Palace.
This week Conte has also had to deal with Charly Musonda’s dissatisfaction, expressed via Instagram, at a lack of opportunities at Chelsea. He said he had spoken to the 20-year-old winger, who “must be focused on the pitch and not on social media”.