During his interview with The Athletic , Antonio Conte looked back to his time at Tottenham and Chelsea, insisting he won the 2016-17 Premier League title with the Blues ‘as underdogs’ and revealing the one thing at Spurs that drove him ‘mad.’

Conte reflected on his time in England as the coach of Chelsea and Arsenal during an interview with The Athletic.

The Italian tactician, who left Napoli after two years at the Stadio Maradona last summer, had coached Chelsea from 2016 to 2018 and Tottenham from 2021 to 2023.

NAPLES, ITALY – MAY 24: Antonio Conte SSC Napoli head coach greets his supporters after the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on May 24, 2026 in Naples, Italy. (Photo by Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)

He was the last coach to win the Premier League title at Chelsea in 2016-17. In the following campaign, his last at Stamford Bridge, he secured one more domestic title by winning the FA Cup.

“That was a Premier League title we won as underdogs,” Conte said.

“We hadn’t made any big signings. We signed (centre-back) David Luiz, (left-back Marcos) Alonso and (midfielder N’Golo) Kante — the club asked me 10 times if I was sure about him. He wasn’t the typical Chelsea player: tall and handsome. He was the sort of bloke who, when you saw him, was just… well, when I first saw him, I had a few doubts myself about his physicality (laughs), but I was so convinced he was a top player.”

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 27: Antonio Conte, Manager of Chelsea claps the fans after the final whistle during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Burnley at Stamford Bridge on August 27, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images)

From a tactical formation and squad depth perspective, "Conte: One Tottenham thing ‘drove me mad’, Chelsea ‘underdogs’ in 2017 title win" carries substantial tournament implications for international seeding and domestic campaign momentum. Coaching staffs are heavily weighing high-pressing efficiency (PPDA), defensive transition pace, and fixture fatigue management.

Tactical analysts monitoring Champions League metrics emphasize that squad adaptability and set-piece execution will likely dictate outcomes in high-leverage knockout environments. Real-time match telemetry and tracking data continue to inform managerial decision-making.

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