The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Conte complained then it was impossible for Italian sides to compete at the latter stages of the Champions League.
It didn’t help his case then that his successor Massimiliano Allegri then led Juve to two Champions League finals in three seasons.
– Conte’s money complaints –
There have been similarities between Conte’s final days at Juventus and many of his public outbursts against the Chelsea ownership this season over his lack of input over recruitment and how much is spent.
⚽?️♂️
?? #ChelseaBarça pic.twitter.com/J8IjPDrAxg— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 19, 2018
“I think I’m a bit of a disaster to convince the club to buy the players,” Conte said last week.
“I have to speak more with the managers who are very, very good to persuade their clubs to spend money and buy top players.”
Conte may then welcome his meeting with the more softly-spoken Ernesto Valverde this week.
In Valverde’s eight-month spell in charge, Barca have smashed their club record transfer fee twice for Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho.
Yet, it is in a very different way that Conte may be able to learn from Valverde as neither Dembele or Coutinho have made much impact on Barca opening up a seven-point La Liga lead and booking their place in the Copa del Rey final.
Instead, Valverde has made the best of what he inherited to turn Barca from the depths of a pre-season crisis into potential treble winners.
? The boss is ready for “an important tie” in the #UCL…
?? #ChelseaBarça pic.twitter.com/wF71XTc11Q— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) February 19, 2018
Neymar’s decision to walk out on the club for a world record 222 million euros to Paris Saint-Germain was a huge loss that Valverde has used as an opportunity to reconstruct a more solid side that maintains the firepower of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in attack.
A change from Barca’s traditional 4-3-3 to a 4-4-2 has seen them concede just once in their six Champions League games to date, and 11 times in 24 La Liga outings.
Meanwhile, the space left unoccupied by Neymar has unleashed left-back Jordi Alba as an attacking threat.
Alba was on target as Barca equalled a club record by avoiding defeat for a 31st straight La Liga game in a 2-0 win at Eibar on Saturday.
Most of all, Valverde’s calm has restored stability to a club that badly needed a steady hand after a tumultuous summer.
That may be the lesson Conte and Chelsea can learn from most of all before careering towards another messy divorce at the end of the season.
