Football
Liam Twomey, Chelsea correspondent 7y

Antonio Conte: Volatility of modern football makes it tough to plan

Antonio Conte has said it is difficult for any manager to make long-term plans at a club because of the lack of patience and frequency of sackings in modern football.

Leicester City have come in for fierce criticism after their decision to dismiss Claudio Ranieri just nine months after a stunning Premier League title triumph.

Conte, a close friend of Ranieri, was himself the centre of speculation in September when several bookmakers suspended betting on him being the next Premier League manager to lose his job after defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal.

And despite his team now being 10 points clear at the top of the table, Conte said the fickle nature of the modern game had made stability increasingly difficult.

"I think in this type of modern football it's not easy to start a project and to be sure you will stay a long time in the same team," he said after the win over Swansea City on Saturday.

"But honestly not only for me, for all coaches.

"If you have the possibility to stay for many years in the same team, then you can work to improve your idea, to improve your players, but the result in football is very important.

"We all know this, and we know it can happen, that one season, you can win the title, the next season you can go away."

Some reports suggested that a deterioration in the relationship with his players had been part of the reason for Ranier's departure.

And Conte said he tried to maintain good communication at Stamford Bridge, adding: "I like to have lots of conversation with players -- for me this is the first season, I'm knowing these players and they are learning to know me also.

"And for this it's important to have a good conversation with all the players, to try always to be honest.

"I prefer to always tell a better truth than a good lie."

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