Soccer Stash: antonio conte

Antonio Conte steps down from the Juventus hotseat after guiding them to three Scudetti in a row. Replacing him is not likely to be easy and could shift the balance of power in Serie A.

D. Ray Morton, 16th July 2014.

Antonio Conte stunned Juventus fans yesterday by announcing his resignation after only signing a contract extension in May

Antonio Conte yesterday resigned from his role as Juventus manager in order, more than likely, to take over the available job of Italian national team manager after the departure of Cesare Prandelli following a disappointing World Cup campaign. Conte had rebuilt Juve in the aftermath of the calciopoli scandal which had drastically damaged the club's standing in the domestic and European game. Having guided them to three league titles in a row, Conte appeared to be building something special.

Why did he leave one must wonder. The national team role, provided he does apply for it, is a tempting one but not necessarily a once-off opportunity considering Conte's relatively young age and his sound reputation within the Italian game. There must have been some private dissatisfaction which forced his hand. One such dissatisfaction may be their activities in the transfer market this summer. Juventus have sat idle as they let their main target Alexis Sánchez get snapped up by Arsenal despite having the ball in their court in regards to capturing his signature. Sánchez saw Juve as his first-choice club and wanted to join his international teammates, Arturo Vidal and Mauricio Isla in Turin. The bianconeri could have signed him for as little as €25m before his impressive World Cup which saw his transfer value increase.

They hesitated and they missed out on a player that would add some considerable firepower to their line-up. Instead, they have been linked with the frankly overpriced Juan Iturbe of Hellas Verona and the largely unproven Real Madrid talent, Álvaro Morata. This represents side-stepping, not improvement. With the charismatic Conte now out of the picture, questions will be asked about the futures of their most talented assets, French international Paul Pogba and the aforementioned midfield dynamo Vidal. Will they be tempted to join a more ambitious club when the Old Lady appear to be struggling to compete with Europe's elite?

Paul Pogba could be one of the hot properties departing Turin in the aftermath of this managerial change

Another problem could be with Conte's successor. Massimiliano Allegri, former Serie A-winning AC Milan manager, is strong favourite to take over which could unsettle Andrea Pirlo. Allegri was the man that forced Pirlo out of San Siro and allowed him to leave on a free transfer where he revived his career and produced some of his best performances. At Milan, Allegri felt that Pirlo was a luxury player when used in his regista role and wanted a more dynamic, fast-paced midfield.

This sudden change will be a considerable blow for Juventus and perhaps Serie A in general. Although Conte had underachieved in Europe, Juve were still the most likely Italian side to get far in the Champions League provided they improved their squad season after season. The man with plan is gone and the prospective signings could turn out to be woeful. It might be a very close race for the title in the season ahead with Roma, Napoli, Fiorentina, Inter and AC Milan all salivating at this.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MILOS KRASIC?

D. Ray Morton, 6th March 2014.

As I watched an exciting young Serbia side defeat Ireland 2-1 in a friendly in Dublin last night, the thought struck me...where is that blonde haired winger of theirs, the man once dubbed "the new Pavel Nedved"? It required a Google search to even re-jog my memory of his name such was this man's disappearance from the game at the highest level.

Milos Krasic, 29, who has played for Vojvodina, CSKA Moscow, Juventus, Fenerbahce and now...Bastia? When Krasic joined Juventus from CSKA Moscow in 2010 for a fee believed to be around €15m, big things were expected of the Serbian winger. He had made an impact on the European scene in his six years at CSKA and looked as if he had all the attributes to take the Italian Serie A by storm. This is a man, remember, who had once been listed by FourFourTwo as one of the top 100 players in the world.

So where exactly did it go wrong for Krasic? His first season at Juve appeared relatively successful. He chipped in with a few goals, usually important or spectacular ones, but wasn't especially prolific which isn't unusual for right-footed right winger. He was signed as a traditional wideman, one who could take on defenders one-on-one and whip in crosses gaining him assists more often than goals.

Of course, the arrival of Antonio Conte as Juve manager in 2011 had a big impact on his future there. Krasic may well have been a victim of not falling into Conte's system which occasionally involved fielding a Walter Mazzarri's Napoli-style 3-5-2 in which the Serbian couldn't operate within. Krasic prefers to play high up the line and usually isn't required to defend. Conte's formation needed widemen who would sit deeper and defend first, join in on attacks second. Due to Conte's success at Juve (they look set to secure yet another Scudetto this season), Krasic's exit does not seem so mystifying as trophies justified his disposal.

He was shipped off to Turkish giants Fenerbahce in 2012 for €7m, Juve making a loss on that but perhaps pleased to get a player they couldn't use off the wage bill. He only lasted one season in their first team, a forgettable campaign in which he failed to score a single league goal in thirteen appearances. This season, he finds himself on loan at Bastia in France where his form has been a little bit better but competing for a mid-table French team is far removed from battling for Champions League glory which a club like Juventus see themselves capable of doing in the next couple of seasons.

Unless Krasic proves me completely wrong, he's just another name to add to a heap of forgotten players who could have been something.