Antonio Conte led Chelsea and Inter Milan to league titles when he inherited vastly talented, but rudderless and underachieving squads.
So maybe he really is perfect in regards to becoming the next Manchester United manager, and according to an ESPN report this morning, he is supposedly in frame. Like Zinedine Zidane, the bookie and fan favorite, he’s currently available, and that would make this transition a whole lot easier.
Of course, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is still employed, but there is some noise being made right now that this may not be the case for too much longer. Honestly, they should have sacked him at the last international break, and if they club continues to stall on that, we could see the Red Devils fall out of top four contention.
Right now it’s obvious that OGS has lost the dressing room, and the idea of this team having title aspirations is laughable. While Solskjaer has still not won a single trophy, Conte would definitely accumulate some silverware.
And that’s really an indictment on the Norwegian, because after the trophy laden era of Sir Alex Ferguson ended, every single one of his successors have won at least one trophy (even David Moyes, who was sacked in less than seven months, won at least the Community Shield).
Signing Conte wouldn’t exactly be the long term answer however, and really, the best case scenario here would be for United to finally find their stability at the position. That’s a huge problem, and one that woudn’t be getting any better.
United continue to fail, largely due to the fact that you have this roster filled with players acquired under different regimes, with the intention of thriving under different types of methods. It doesn’t flow or gel, at all. Conte would come in with a style similar to that of that man he had his greatest ever feud with, Jose Mourinho. And while the Special One did see some level of success, at least initially, his era is deservedly viewed as a failure overall.
Also, would these players fit in a 3-5-2 formation? Maybe not, but when you bottom line all this, Conte is certainly an upgrade over what they have in Solskjaer, and it’s not even close. If this is the direction that United wants to go, they need to do it sooner rather than later. They have wasted enough season already.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Bank (TheSportsBank.Net) and author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” as well as “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He has regularly appeared in WGN, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune, and co-hosts the After Extra Time podcast. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram.