I’m not the biggest fan of Arsene Wenger. Though after yesterday I almost feel sorry for him. Almost. And I can’t stand Jose Morinho either. Because I don’t like managers who can’t lose with any grace, managers like Wenger and Morinho who always want to blame the ref, accuse everyone of persecuting their teams, the ball-boys did it, the team doctor was wrong, anyone and anything but accept responsibility.

But yesterday a new contender for ‘most hated’ simply rocketed to the top of the list. When Antonio Conte took his Chelsea team to Manchester City. Ok, it was Manchester City who, quite literally, are sweeping away all who come before them. So you have to approach them with care and consideration and caution. If you attack too strongly you leave yourselves exposed at the back and they will punish you. Yet attack is always the best form of defence and if you have the ball then they can’t score.

Teams fearful of the opposition often set up more defensively, more conservatively, particularly away from home, hoping to score ‘on the break’ with just a couple of attacking players left up the pitch.

But Conte is an Italian. Raised on that nation’s fine tradition of defending first, second, third and forth. Fouling and violence come 5th and 6th and attacking comes in at a lowly 19th.

And thus yesterday his team set up at the Etihad with 5 at the back, four more sitting about 5 yards ahead of them and the lonely, solitary figure of Eden Hazard pretending to attack all by hisself. The ideal ‘target man’, all 5 foot 6 of him. Playing where all his unquestionably brilliant skills are rendered virtually worthless.

Had the plan succeeded in producing the 0-0 draw that was the stuff of Conte’s dreams, he would have created the blueprint for the death of our national game. But inevitably, as Chelsea did not chase the ball, rush to break down attacks, move towards the City players at all, a goal came just after half time. And I thought, great, now Conte will bring on a striker and will have to chase a goal and it might look like a game. But no. He didn’t. Just kept to his incredibly disciplined banks of defenders to stop City scoring again.

Because he’s a total… heap of shit.

His justification, as the pundits and critics slammed into Chelsea’s horrible tactics, was that, basically, he knew they would lose, everyone does, and a big loss would be very demoralising for his players. So to lose 1-0 is a great thing, no?

Well how demoralised are his players, does he reckon, that their esteemed manager essentially told them that he has absolutely no confidence in their abilities or skills, that they’re going to lose the game, lack any chance of winning so might as well not bother. Instead just try to ‘lose not too badly’.

It was cynical, it was horrible to watch, totally cowardly and it gave a terrible message that he wasn’t just playing for a draw, but was more than happy with a ‘gentle’ loss. Oh, and fuck the fans who not only went 200 miles to watch their team embarrass themselves but now have to face the humiliation as they read today’s papers and see their mates at work.

I don’t know what they call football in Italy, but its certainly not ‘the beautiful game’. The sooner Conte goes the better. He’s a danger to football.

Happy Monday (which, in terms of results generally, it really is)

A xxxx