Antonio Conte: Ten years since the Italian took over as Chelsea coach, what has changed?

This winter, the breakdown in relations between Enzo Maresca, the sporting directors and Chelsea ownership looked eerily similar to the circumstances surrounding Conte’s departure.

In the end, Maresca’s position became untenable and he was unable to reach the end of the season, being replaced by Rosenior.

In his first season, Maresca closed the gap on the league leaders to 16 points, although Liverpool’s points tally of 84 was the lowest by any title winners since 2016.

However, instability is a perennial problem for Chelsea compared to standard-setting clubs such as Manchester City, Liverpool and Arsenal, which have dominated the Premier League in recent years.

All three enjoyed continuity in the dugout and the boardroom, a foundation that helped foster sustained success.

Chelsea had hoped to build in the long term around Tuchel, who had close working relationships with manager Marina Granovskaia and technical advisor Petr Cech, but sanctions imposed by the British government led to the end of the leadership of the Abramovich era.

When Todd Bohle and Clearlake Capital completed their takeover of BlueCo in 2022, they confirmed their ambition to win the Premier League. But relations quickly soured with Tuchel, who appeared increasingly tense under the new ownership.

Graham Potter was then appointed, aiming to replicate the team-building models of Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp and Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, while taking inspiration from Brighton’s recruitment strategy.

However, Chelsea employed too many players during the first season under new ownership, creating a chaotic dressing room environment that Potter was unable to manage. The club then opted for a high-profile manager, appointing Mauricio Pochettino in 2024, but he did not fit in with their vision and was followed by a younger Maresca.

There is still widespread appreciation for Maresca’s work despite his acrimonious departure due to a difference of vision with ownership.

His successor, Rosenior, was promoted from within the BlueCo structure – having been head coach of partner club Strasbourg – in an attempt to minimize mid-season disruption, work within a structure designed to focus on developing young players, and maintain a similar playing style to his predecessor.

Conte can look at Chelsea from a distance now, and is impressed by how the approach has changed.

He said: “Every coach wants to sign young players, but if the young players are worth more than £100m, we will do it.” [Moises] Caicedo W [Enzo] Fernandes, this is not for all clubs, especially in Italy. “They are doing a very good job and doing something important for the future.”

The club he led to glory nine seasons ago is ranked fifth in the English Premier League and is 13 points behind leaders Arsenal with 15 matches remaining.

Manchester City – still led by Guardiola – are in the process of searching.

Chelsea have not been considered part of the title race this season since December.