On Wednesday evening, Simone Zaza will come up against the man who handed him his Italy debut and took him to UEFA Euro 2016 – Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
The former Juventus and Italy midfielder and boss is known to possess one of the most astute tactical minds in European football.
As a player, he won five Serie A titles, the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup, reached the final of the 1994 World Cup and Euro 2000, and earned 20 international caps.
As a manager, he led Bari to Serie A before guiding Juventus to three consecutive Italian titles, before being promoted to the role of national-team manager in 2014.
West Ham United centre forward Zaza’s admiration for his old boss is strong, and is relishing the opportunity of challenging Conte.
Simone, what can you tell us about Antonio Conte?
“It was an honour and a pleasure to play under Mister Conte for Italy. He is a coaching genius and a tactical expert and it is interesting to play for him because he is so obsessed with tactics and the movement of players around the pitch.”
Conte was known as a tactical genius with Juventus and Italy and has recently implemented his favoured ‘three centre-halves’ system at Stamford Bridge, with impressive results so far. How do you expect him to fare in England?
“For him, it will be different coaching in England, where tactics are not the most important thing about the game of football. He will have to battle against the footballing culture of this country, but I think he will do well here.”
Are you excited about the prospect of facing his Chelsea team in the EFL Cup fourth round in front of a competition-record crowd at London Stadium?
“I am happy because this is a big match against a big team on a big stage, and I like playing against big teams! I am also happy because I will be reunited with Mister Conte.”
Chelsea are in good form, so can we beat them?
“We will be at home again and the fans will be behind us, but it will be a big challenge, so we will need to rise to that and play to our best on the night. I am very much looking forward to the match.”
Conte is adapting to English football, as are you, so what are the main differences between the Premier League and Italy’s Serie A?
“Well, the game is much more physical here and there is less emphasis on tactics. The game is non-stop for the whole 90 minutes and the other aspect that shouldn’t be understated is the fact that West Ham have got many new players this season.
“It’s not easy for so many players to settle in and get to know each other in such a short space of time.”
What about your own adaptation? How is that going?
“I knew that when I arrived it would be hard, because it’s a completely different league, but I didn’t think it would be this different. I’m gradually getting used to it, feeling more confident and I’m very positive at the moment.”