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28 March 2024

Conte admits to Capello regrets

Published
By AFP

Antonio Conte has worked under some of the best coaches in Italian football but the current Juventus boss admits to having regrets that former England manager Fabio Capello is not among that illustrious list.

"I've worked with the most successful coaches (Marcello) Lippi, (Carlo) Ancelotti, (Giovanni) Trapattoni, (Dino) Zoff, (Arrigo) Sacchi but also (Eugenio) Fascetti and (Carlo) Mazzone," said Conte.

"But I never had Capello on the bench. That would have completed my line-up, I have a lot of respect for him."

Conte allowed himself a moment to reflect on one of his predecessors on the Juve bench as the club's match at Bologna on Sunday night has been postponed due to the weather, a decision Conte supports.

"We prepared for the match against Bologna but now we'll change our training programme," he said.

"The important thing is guaranteeing the spectacle for the fans because that's why people come to the stadium.

"You have to have the conditions to offer that spectacle, otherwise..."

Conte also moved to diffuse a row brewing between his side and title rivals AC Milan following the Italian Cup semi-final, first leg in midweek.

Milan's Zlatan Ibrahimovic appeared to poke Juve goalkeeper Marco Storari in the face, after which Juve centre-back Giorgio Chiellini urged journalists to review video evidence of the incident.

Ibrahimovic has so far escaped punishment but the incident sparked a war of words between the clubs in the press.

"I think it would be better if everyone concentrated on a sporting duel and that's it, starting with me," said Conte.

"The things of the past, the claims and counter-claims can become unpleasant.

"Fans want to watch football and the things that happened off the pitch don't help and don't do any good."