Yahoo Sports CM: ‘Wasn’t what we were looking for’ – Conte hopes to make Milan feel regret
With Napoli travelling to San Siro tonight, there is naturally a lot of attention on Antonio Conte and his past against AC Milan.
Calciomercato.com even describes Milan-Napoli as ‘Conte’s game’. It is not only because he has faced the Rossoneri with Juventus and Inter, but also because he could have become the new coach of Milan over the summer.
When with the farewell of Stefano Pioli it was time to change course but the management did not go with Conte and instead the choice fell on Paulo Fonseca, who will be the Italian’s opponent in tonight’s game.
From the wiretaps that emerged in recent weeks regarding the ‘Doppia Curva’ investigation, even the Curva Sud were pushing to hire him to replace Pioli. Conte addressed the topic a few weeks ago, clearly knowing nothing about it – having had no contact – but admitting he was flattered.
Another aspect to consider is that Zlatan Ibrahimovic made his thoughts clear in June when Fonseca was unveiled: “With the criteria we had, Conte’s name didn’t come up, it wasn’t what we were looking for. By taking Fonseca, Milan has a coach, not a manager.”
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The reply was not long in coming: “I consider myself more of a manager, I want to have a say. Maybe somewhere else this could have been a nuisance.” It was a predictable exchange, given the strong character of both.
Who knows what would have happened if Conte had been hired by Milan. However, the facts cannot be distorted: the start of the Fonseca has been turbulent for Milan, while the Partenopei are top by four points and can deal a hammer blow to any Scudetto hopes tonight.
