Inter Milan, champions of Italy. If you want a title, get Antonio Conte. The Nerazzurri <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/thousands-of-inter-fans-flood-milan-streets-to-celebrate-first-serie-a-title-in-a-decade-in-pictures-1.1215441">celebrated their 19th Scudetto last Sunday</a>, Conte finally ending the nine-year reign of Juventus, which he had started in 2012, and getting his revenge on Juve chairman Andrea Agnelli, with whom he exchanged insults in February. He is, without a doubt, the great architect of their success; he took an Inter that had finished in fourth place in 2018-19, 21 points behind Juventus, to the top of Serie A two years later. After starting his career as a manager in Arezzo followed by Bari, Atalanta, Siena and Juventus, Conte spent two years with the Italian national team and then Chelsea, where he won a Premier League and FA Cup in two seasons. In May 2019 he signed with Inter Milan - where he faced resistance among fans - and after <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/football/sevilla-beat-inter-in-thrilling-final-to-win-sixth-europa-league-1.1066760">losing the Europa League final</a> to Sevilla in his first campaign in August 2020, this year he achieved what until recently was unthinkable in Italy: taking the Scudetto away from Juve's clutches. About to turn 52 in July, Conte was born in Lecce, where he started playing as a midfielder in 1985, then became one of the most valuable players in his position. Today he is the highest paid coach in Serie A history, with Inter's Chinese owner Steven Zhanga backing his winning obsession, and putting him at the top of the pay league two years ago. Conte reportedly earns €12 million ($14.4m) net per year, almost five times as much as the next highest-paid coach in Serie A. Eleven years after Jose Mourinho's historic treble, Inter won their 19th Scudetto thanks to an enthusiastic coach whose victorious mentality prevailed. Early elimination from the Champions League prompted speculation he might be sacked but instead it allowed Inter to put all their efforts into Serie A and Conte's has masterminded some brilliant tactics to secure the title. Particularly influenced by the Italian coach Giovanni Trapattoni, Conte built with his trademark 3-5-2 the best defence in the Italian championship. Of course, it was also important to have brought in Romelu Lukaku in 2019 (the €81m fee was a club record) and also Achraf Hakimi for €40m at the beginning of the current campaign. A staunch defender of method and discipline, those who do not follow Conte's orders suffer the consequences. On the field, his rule means that any player who loses possession of the ball has five seconds to recover it before returning to their position. However, although he requires his players to fight for each ball, he does fine anyone who is sent off. It is no accident that Inter have received fewer yellow cards than any other Serie A team this season. Inter players always play at the limit, but rarely over. With Conte, the mind is just as important as the body. A graduate of the Italian football federation's coaching school in Coverciano, he believes that a player needs to study as much as he trains so each player receives meticulous written reports on his direct opponents. 'I train your head, then I train your legs'; It is his motto and the results back it up.
