He wasn't even considered one of the best CBs here while he showed incredible consistency, that is until last year when started to generate more interest abroad and was selected in the CL best 11 (group stages). He was always underrated player, unlike Luiz or Pique. His contract was expiring, he wanted to return to Italy, 30 yo, hence the price.
1) top 3 finish, at least.
2)he isn't WC b2b, Pirlo and Barza needed more stable environment but potential was always there. This is what you don't get, mediocre players don't turn into WC.
1) top 3 finish, at least.
2)he isn't WC b2b, Pirlo and Barza needed more stable environment but potential was always there. This is what you don't get, mediocre players don't turn into WC.
And I take it your answers for the rest of number 2 are all yes (or very close to yes)?
So to summarize your view: Manicini/Benitez/Pellegrini could have took us to top 3 and made our players perform to the level that they did in 2011/12 (or really close), only due to the coach's tactical inferiority or whatever compared to Conte we would have finished 2nd or 3rd, instead of 1st and undefeated.
I think we now see the fundamental disagreement thats between us from which our differences about Conte and even Simeone come out. You see performance on the pitch as largely down to the quality of the players (say 85%) and slightly sensitive to coach quality (say 15%), I assign different weights (60% players 40% coach) or so. Thats why I give more credit to Conte and Simeone than you do, even though we all agree thats its a mutual effort. Its just that I see the contribution of a coach to that mutual effort to be larger than you take it to be.
I have no idea how to bridge that difference on a fundamental level. At best I would point towards teams who took a sudden substantial hike in performence when the players are largely the same from previous seasons and the coach change is the difference (Ranieri?). But it wont be conclusive and its very rare that a coach change is the only real change after a bad season. So it wont ever be a control environment. Anyway thanks for the answer.
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