Antonio Conte (43 Viewers)

[Nenz]

The successful coach has laughed off suggestions that the Old Lady can challenge the European top next season

Juventus coach Antonio Conte does not believe that the Serie A champions have any chance of winning the Champions League next season.

The Turin giants failed to get out of the group stages in 2013-14 after they were eliminated in the quarter-finals the previous season and Conte feels it will be a while before they are ready to challenge for the European title again.

"Winning the Champions League? I am not joking anyone. I respect the fans," Conte told reporters.

"If you ask me whether Juventus can win the Champions League again at some point, I will say yes. But if you ask me whether the current Juventus can win it, I'm afraid I have to say no.

"Do you have to dream about something before being able to realise it? I would like to win everything, including the Champions League. I still have an entire career ahead of me.

"We must work hard. It's important to wake up and see the reality rather than dream. You have to understand that it's not easy to win the Champions League."

Juventus last won the Champions League in 1996, when they beat Ajax on penalties.

Yep. Can't believe he is saying this shit publicly. Words of a class A coward. Blaming refs, now this. Weak as piss! Way to instill confidence in the squad (which is actually full of quality).

Conte putting his reputation before the team IMO. Not the man of integrity he seemed to be.

 

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[JuveJay]

If a second tier teams win it all, is it such an immense upset? I don't think so. And I'm not even considering Juventus household name or anything else. I'm solely basing on the quality of players available at each team.

I didn't say immense upset, but those second tier choices (yours, not mine) would all be surprise winners at the moment. They could win, but that's not what I am arguing against. I'm talking about expectations and being realistic.

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Seriously, this "we are trying to build a team for the future" statement has already expired. Money can vital, but at the same time it is proved that you don't need to spend 100m a year to win CL.

I think this is where we part ways on this one, we are constantly building our squad, obviously to the point where you see us as being better than I do. Provided we don't sell stars (and maybe even if we do) then this team will keep getting strongest.

First things first, we didn't get out of the group stage last season, we've signed no one and now we are getting upset because Conte says be realistic about the CL.

 

[Klin]

First things first, we didn't get out of the group stage last season, we've signed no one and now we are getting upset because Conte says be realistic about the CL.

You expect us not to pass the Group Stages if we don't upgrade this season?

 

[AOD4]

Can't agree with you there. Individually Juve has great players, a few WC ones, a lot of very good players, good rotation players.

Talent wise, considering the players only, and mainly the starting 11, we are at least top10 in Europe.

Dreaming of buying a Ferrari is not a good comparison IMO. Because if you think about some of the great players we have, talent wise we are not that far away.

IMO, talent wise, considering the current players in each squad, you have the first tier in Europe - Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, PSG, Chelsea.

Then comes the second tier - Atletico, Juventus, City, Liverpool, United, Dortmund.

If a second tier teams win it all, is it such an immense upset? I don't think so. And I'm not even considering Juventus household name or anything else. I'm solely basing on the quality of players available at each team.

First tier is Bayern,Real and Barca. I believe we have a squad better than Chelsea, the only think Chelsea has is Mourinho. Then the rest of Europe.
A team of our calibre, should aim for Semifinals.

 

[j0ker]

I am yet to understand where did Conte say that we can't pass the group stage?

There is a little difference between not being able to win the CL and passing the groups.

 

[Nenz]

@JuveJay Is confusing realism with defeatism. The aforementioned gap in quality between Juve and say Real Madrid would be clear to most. Why publicly state it though? At the end of the day public statements talking down Juve's chances benefit no one but Conte. He already showed how good he is at shifting blame when he dumped on the refs after being legitimately knocked out of the Europa by an inferior team.

 

[JuveJay]

@JuveJay Is confusing realism with defeatism. The aforementioned gap in quality between Juve and say Real Madrid would be clear to most. Why publicly state it though? At the end of the day public statements talking down Juve's chances benefit no one but Conte.

I don't think Conte is a defeatist coach. Why state it? To dampen expectation, it makes his job easier, takes pressure off himself. I'm sure his players will tell you he goes into every game to win.

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You expect us not to pass the Group Stages if we don't upgrade this season?

I'm not sure how you come to this conclusion from what I said, I was just citing an example how to be realistic.

Really our CL exit last season has a lot to answer for it, it has caused this anger...

 

[.zero]

"We want winners here"

 

[PedroFlu]

Well u get knocked out of CL early stages, can't beat Benfica on your pitch, and keeps saying we stand absolutely no chance...

It's definitely not the best approach. It's almost like saying it wasn't his fault the team was eliminated from Europe - we would go down anyway.

If he was saying instead that we need to improve our approach, bla bla, and he trusts his players to do a better job, with more experience, bla bla bla, it would be much more suitable. He should recognize that the team didn't go well and is aiming to improve a lot.

 

[ALC]

I don't get this new money talks tho. Serie A used to spend a ridiculous amount of money back in the day. The game hasn't been skewed, it's just that the money moved outside of Italy.

 

[Fr3sh]

We lost even before the first whistle blew, rather dissapointed.

 

[Nenz]

I don't think Conte is a defeatist coach. Why state it? To dampen expectation, it makes his job easier, takes pressure off himself. I'm sure his players will tell you he goes into every game to win.

Fair call I guess but the pressure to win the CL isn't really there in the first place. Hell, any manager of any club can't be blamed for not winning it. So why bother with this negative rhetoric?

 

[JuveJay]

Fair call I guess but the pressure to win the CL isn't really there in the first place. Hell, any manager of any club can't be blamed for not winning it. So why bother with this negative rhetoric?

I think there is some pressure there to win it, from the fans, which I suppose is really the centre of this argument. We are pretty desperate to get our hands on the trophy, and be back amongst Europe's elite.

Maybe I just prefer to go under the radar a little, rather than us building ourselves up. That worked for us in the first CL campaign as few expected us to do as well as we did, then after that came expectation and failure. Subconsciously I feel we do better this way. But really, what is said privately and to those who matter on the pitch is of the most importance. The fan base is important as well, but I don't take what Conte says outwardly to heart, with people like him it's all on his sleeve.

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I don't get this new money talks tho. Serie A used to spend a ridiculous amount of money back in the day. The game hasn't been skewed, it's just that the money moved outside of Italy.

What don't you get about it, you've just explained it pretty well? Now there are simply more teams with lots of money, billionaires outside of western Europe are now buying those clubs for prestige.

90s Serie A did start a trend, but it was a domestic issue.

 

[1251alex]

I don't believe any of Conte's public statements for one second. It's obvious what he's doing. If he truly believed this he would be a loser and wouldn't have decided to stay after all. I believe we'll lift at least one CL trophy under Conte.





Forza Conte.

 

[GordoDeCentral]

Reached the final, like Dortmund. Man, we couldn't beat Danes and Turks with our squad, it's nothing but embarrassing.

you just keep twisting facts dont you, reached the final is not winning, and we did beat the danes.

 

[Dostoevsky]

you just keep twisting facts dont you, reached the final is not winning, and we did beat the danes.

I don't think you'd see many members complain had we reached the final. Of course some, if not majority, would be disappointed. Still, it'd be a huge progress.

You never know it with finals, it's always pretty much 50-50. Had Atletico lasted 2 minutes longer they'd have the trophy. But even this way they should be proud of their season in Europe, unlike us. We had a better team than many clubs out there, yet we choker harder than all others. Galatasaray went ahead of us, so it's not all about the money, that is for sure. Dortmund has achieved a lot and they didn't spend. It doesn't have to be winning at this point but progressing. We did not progress, we actually were horrible.

Yeah we won, but we played 1-1 in Denmark, which is pathetic. Same goes for Galatasaray.

 

[GordoDeCentral]

I don't think you'd see many members complain had we reached the final. Of course some, if not majority, would be disappointed. Still, it'd be a huge progress.

You never know it with finals, it's always pretty much 50-50. Had Atletico lasted 2 minutes longer they'd have the trophy. But even this way they should be proud of their season in Europe, unlike us. We had a better team than many clubs out there, yet we choker harder than all others. Galatasaray went ahead of us, so it's not all about the money, that is for sure. Dortmund has achieved a lot and they didn't spend. It doesn't have to be winning at this point but progressing. We did not progress, we actually were horrible.

Yeah we won, but we played 1-1 in Denmark, which is pathetic. Same goes for Galatasaray.

call me crazy but id rather go out in the first round than lose in the finals

 

[Dostoevsky]

call me crazy but id rather go out in the first round than lose in the finals

You are crazy.



Seriously though... we lost over 20mln euros because of that.

 

[GordoDeCentral]

You are crazy.



Seriously though... we lost over 20mln euros because of that.

obviously you want to progress as further as possible, but with hindsight i would defo choose the least amount of drama

 

[Dostoevsky]

You're a fighter in real life, you can't be a pussy as a football fan.

Drama is where it's at.