Chelsea winger Willian is of the belief his working relationship with his former manager Antonio Conte deteriorated because of the Italian’s way of handling players.
According to Willian, Conte would substitute him even if he was playing well and never really explained why he took him off in the game.
The pair endured a torrid relationship throughout the Italian’s stay at the club and Willian ended the season as mostly a bench warmer. The Blues won only the FA Cup last season, of which Willian played a key role in until the final where he was left on the bench to his dismay.
The player posted a picture on Instagram of his teammates celebrating the success, and cancelled out his manager with an emoji that cemented the rumors he was not in friendly terms with his boss.
That made the disagreement clear, and many Chelsea fans were furious about that lack of professionalism from the winger.
Quizzed about why he and Conte never really got along, Willian simply says ‘it was hard to work with him’ and hopes his new manager is not the same.
“I hope he [Sarri] is not like Conte. No, I’m kidding. For me, Conte was a manager very difficult to work with. His philosophy, his way of dealing with things is very complicated. There were a few games … Sometimes we just don’t understand. You’re playing very well, then you get substituted. I do not understand. There were two times when I got substituted and I went straight to the locker room. It was hard to work with him.
But in life, we learn from these kinds of things. We learn so much from difficulties. There were two years when I stayed on the bench in so many games, coming in later in the game. But this is in the past. The important thing now is to talk about Sarri. From what I heard, I am sure he is a great manager, who does a great job with the team. I have high expectations for working with him.”
Willian, ESPN
