Antonio Conte has found life relatively plain sailing in England, and remains on course to land a league and cup double in his first season in charge of Chelsea. Conte's brilliance has caught many by surprise, with much of the focus before the season being placed upon Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho facing off in Manchester.
However, Italian legend Andrea Pirlo is not surprised by just how well the former Juventus boss is doing.
As reported by theMetro, Pirlo stated, "Conte, for me, is the best coach because he's a genius. He works every day, every single moment for soccer, for the team, every small detail and on the field, the players play very good."
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte hailed as a 'genius' by Andrea Pirlo #CFC https://t.co/5X7lQWOg42 (@MailSport)
Pirlo spent a successful three years under Conte with Juventus, where they won the Scudetto three times.He added: "With Juventus, I was with this coach for three years. We won the league, but every day was stronger in training. Maybe now it's the same at Chelsea."
The pair have a strong relationship, and Conte's desire to fit Pirlo into his Juventus side is often regarded as the reason he opted to play 3-5-2 with the Bianconeri.
#AntonioConte #Conte #CFC Klopp praises 'perfect' Conte and Chelsea https://t.co/7b91nc1Vsd pic.twitter.com/jNXIoHKPp3
Chelsea next face Manchester United in the FA Cup, and Conte faces a stern test against Jose Mourinho if he is to keep his hopes of emulating Carlo Ancelotti by winning the double in his first season alive.