Manchester United legend Gary Neville has admitted that he is not surprised that Antonio Conte’s spell in charge of Chelsea appears to be coming to an end.
After guiding the Blues to the Premier League title during the 2016-17 season, the Italian has had a torrid season, with his side looking to be a shadow of the team they were last term and finishing up in fifth place in the league table. Conte’s Chelsea were never really a threat to the eventual champions Manchester City and ended the season 30 points adrift of Pep Guardiola’s men.
The Blues played an underwhelming brand of football throughout the season and this was epitomised by their final league game, in which they suffered a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Newcastle United.
This would surely have angered the club’s hierarchy as well as the owner Roman Abramovich. The Stamford Bridge outfit are known to be one of the harshest clubs in world football when it comes to dealing with managers.
In addition to this, Conte is also rumoured to have had a standoff with the club’s owners earlier on in the season over their transfer policy. Even though the Blues ended up winning the FA Cup to salvage some pride, it has always looked likely that the Italian manager would not remain at the helm of the club. If one thing is certain, we can expect Chelsea to undergo massive changes this summer.
Neville is not surprised that Conte’s time with the London giants appears to be coming to an end.
“It is a two-year job. We’ve always known that. It’s no surprise,” Neville told his Sky Sports podcast.
