Conte will bring Italy ‘back to the World Cup,’ says ex-Azzurri winger

Former Italy and Juventus winger Emanuele Giaccherini is confident that Antonio Conte will ‘bring the Azzurri back to the World Cup’ if he’s appointed as the new coach.

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Conte has emerged as the leading candidate to become the new Italy national team coach and has already refused to rule out a possible return to the Azzurri’s bench.

‘Conte is what Italy need’

Giaccherini played under Conte at Juventus and the Italy national team and feels the Napoli boss is the ideal replacement for Gennaro Gattuso after the Azzurri failed to qualify for the World Cup for the third time in a row.

“He’s the leader to rely on in difficulties. He prepares his players like soldiers for a battle, exactly what is needed now,” the ex-Italy winger told Gazzetta.

“Conte has a way of working that gets under your skin. If you follow him, you grow. And for him, players give everything they’ve got. He knows ot to create a unique bond with the group.”

Giaccherini said Conte showed the same mindset for either club or country.

“His attitude was exactly the same. He manages to get his ideas across very quickly. On the pitch, you always know what to do; you’ve practised it a thousand times in training, to the point of exhaustion,” the ex-winger said.

“And the workload…I remember sessions at Coverciano where we were throwing up. We needed oxygen masks to get through the end. We’d leave completely drained.

“The sessions were brutal, but on the pitch, we were flying. He told us that performing well was our mission and that we had to be soldiers ready for a battle. We didn’t have superstars, but our hunger made the difference.

“He’s the best. He’ll take us back to the World Cup,” concluded Giaccherini.

“He’s already shown he can do well with the national team. His track record says it all: he rebuilt Juventus, Inter and Napoli. And he would do the same with Italy, now more than ever.”