Bari are back in Serie A but, as Dave Taylor suggests, Antonio Conte doesn’t deserve all the credit
As the Cockerels crow at the dawn of a Serie A day, let us not go overboard in praising Coach Antonio Conte for leading them back into the top Division. It seems, if you believe the hype, that after 18 months with Bari the former Juve midfielder is now ready to take on the Coach’s role with La Vecchia Signora.
Apparently all and sundry in Turin see him as the perfect replacement for Claudio Ranieri and of course, if the truth be known, that compliment is not without some foundation.
However, what also needs to be known is that his achievement with the Apulians was far from a solo effort and involved a massive joint operation, with all levels of the club contributing to their success.
From owner Vincenzo Matarrese, the excellent and experienced sporting director Giorgio Perinetti through to the whole revitalised technical staff, it was their hard work that allowed Conte to concentrate solely on coaching.
The club always backed him no matter what, even in the more delicate moments and their decision to strengthen the team bit by bit saw the competition for first team places becoming much fiercer than in previous years.
What also probably helped was the fact that those same players started the campaign without too much expectation, something which enabled them to work without any real pressure. The most fans had expected was perhaps a play-off place.
Yet the directors were quietly much more optimistic and they were eventually proven right, as the Cockerels clawed their way back into the top flight a whole four weeks before the end of the season.
With a ruthless will to win plus some good offensive play, a united squad on and off the pitch helped lift the whole ambience of the club, as the Bari fans rediscovered their love for football and their team.
In the city centre some 200,000 of them celebrated their promotion and chanted Conte’s name all night. If he is a wise man he will listen to them and stay with the southern club a while longer before allowing his friends in the north to turn his head before his time.
channel4.com