Antonio Conte Quotes

Football tactics are rapidly becoming as complicated as the chemical formula for splitting the atom.

Fotball strategy does not originate in a scrimmage. It is useless to expect solutions in a political campaign.

I experienced how Pep Guardiola worked every day. He had football on his mind round the clock: 'What system does the opponent like to play? How do I want to set up my team, who do I want in which position?'

Good players win you games, good formations stop you losing them.

If I was to play on the left, I'd rather play there if there was three in midfield.

I prefer playing in a 4-3-3.

You have to do a lot of planning, certainly in football. We watch the opposition three or four times before we play them.

The most important thing is to help the team to come in front of the goal with one-two passes, I drop down, or I give them space, because for defenders, it's always difficult to have a false nine because they don't have a direct player against them, so they don't know exactly what to do.

It is possible to stop Messi. Teams do it when he plays for Argentina. But the Barcelona Messi is different.

I don't really like all these tactical systems people talk about: 3-5-2, 4-3-3, and all that.

The way Guardiola plays suits me. It enables me to get into space in attacking positions.

Watch me, and I only really like the ball into feet. I don't like running in behind so much.

If you're talking about English football very few teams play 4-4-2 now: it's either 4-4-1-1, 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1, they are the three major systems played throughout the Premier League.

That's the nicest part of football; you can't do everything to stop a player.

Eddie Howe was the most tactical manager I have worked under.

When I started analysing games in 2001, I had a DVD recorder. I'd be at home watching the games just on a normal TV, watching what I could and trying to figure out what we would be facing a few weeks later. The problem was, in the team meetings, I'd always have to keep going back and forwards with the footage, trying to get to the right part.

I like to control the ball and analyse the game.

When you are playing with a few players in the pocket, it doesn't leave me isolated. I have a bit more space to work and be higher up the pitch.

When we talk about Arsene Wenger, I like the fact that he focuses 80 percent about the style of play he wants for his team and not taking so much consideration into the other team.

Football is open; it is not only keeping possession of the ball and making more passes.

I have to play with discipline in midfield.

If you have a defensive concept, you're going to play defense. If you don't have a defensive concept, and you have an offensive concept, then you're going to play offense.

There are a lot of things you can practise to unsettle teams that defend deep.

It's important to know as much as I can about the players.

It's important for a striker to play in a position which is natural for him.