GdS: The dictionaries of Allegri and Conte ahead of first meeting in 12 years

Massimiliano Allegri and Antonio Conte are two of the best managers in Italian football, not only in terms of football, but also in terms of entertainment. 

The pair have extensive careers, and this is why it is a bit shocking that tonight’s game will be their first meeting in 12 years. Almost 4,400 days later, the pair will face off again after the break in games. Another reason to add interest to today’s clash.

What also adds a bit of interest is their speaking. Their press conferences leading up to this game have been enjoyable, and Gazzetta dello Sport has recalled some of their most famous statements.

Iconic words

The report starts with Allegri and his famous quote about good coaches being the ones who do the least damage. It is something that he believes in deeply, and he is not alone in that regard.

Conte, in some respects, is a bit of a polar opposite in this sense, then, given his record. However, he believes that winners cannot be likeable figures, at least not by everyone, “It’s impossible to be a winner without being unpopular, at least in Italy. Jealousy and envy are inevitable, especially at the highest levels. It’ll never happen; it’s hard to see a likeable winner”.

Allegri has experienced the same during the 2015-16 season. He stated that there was a ‘media trial’ against him, “There’s a media trial against me. I can be liked or not liked, like the old Fantozzi movie, when Filini catches the ratfish and says, ‘You can be liked or not liked.'”.

Back to Conte, and his opposites from Allegri, and his quote about leaving Juventus in a bad place is almost the direct counter to the Milan coach. In a press conference before a game against Inter in 2011, he stated, “I left Juve feeling unpleasant, and I found them pleasant. I want them to become unpleasant again soon. If I lose, I’ll die. I’ve heard Conte is hiding, but where?”

“It makes me smile when I hear people say, ‘He plays well, he puts on a show.’ The show is a circus; here you have to win.” Providing entertainment is one of Allegri’s greatest strengths in the media, and the quote about his dislikable football in 2017 proved as much.

Conte is the same, though, and his quote about Vaseline in 2012 proves as much. “We’re covered in Vaseline; everything slides off us. We want to defuse the atmosphere and tensions of the past few days.”

Allegri is a huge fan of horse racing, and this is proven by his saying about narrow wins, preferably a 1-0 win, “With horses, you just have to put your nose in front, not by 100 meters. Picture it, corto muso [a short nose], whoever loses by a narrow margin is second, whoever wins like that is first.”

Conte has also been very outspoken about money in his career. Last April, he said as much with Napoli, “I have an excellent relationship with him, but I need respect, too. I’ve seen him being exploited, but I don’t care. I have to protect myself; otherwise, it would have been a great journey together. I can’t tolerate my ass being abused.”

It was not the first time that something of that ilk had been said, though. In 2014, he made an iconic reference to restaurants, You can’t eat in a 100-euro restaurant for 10 euros.” A metaphor aimed at club management to underscore the need to invest in order to compete at a high level, including in cup competitions.”

Both are very entertaining, and this evening’s game should follow suit.