Cesc Fabregas has sent a warning to Tottenham players over the management style of his former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
Fabregas played under the Italian coach for two years at Stamford Bridge, during which time the London side won one Premier League title and an FA Cup.
After leaving the club in 2018, Conte took over as the manager of Inter Milan before guiding them to their first Serie A title in up to 11 years, in just his second campaign at the club.
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Conte has now returned to the Premier League to become the new manager of Tottenham, after signing an initial 18-month deal this month.
But despite praising the appointment, the Spanish midfielder Fabregas has now revealed exactly what Tottenham’s players can expect from their new manager.
‘I think with Antonio, it was the first time that I’ve seen someone know exactly [what they want] … It was like going to school. I promise you, he will tell you, from the goalkeeper until you have scored a goal, what you have to do, exactly everything,’ he told CBS Sport.
‘Maybe it’s in a different way to how I saw football. At the beginning, it was difficult for me, don’t get me wrong. A lot of running, a lot of intensity. Big sessions, double sessions, gym sessions.
‘I had coaches like Pep [Guardiola] who had a lot of positioning game but we had freedom inside of this. With Conte, the freedom was non-existent, he was telling me where I have to pass the ball.
‘I’m 29 years old in that moment, I’ve already played for 13 years, I played in every final, I won a lot of things and this guy is telling me where I need to pass the ball.
‘I’ve been here a long time, I know everyone and people know me which probably makes people feel a little bit more comfortable in that sense, but the boss and the coaching staff that he’s brought along are top, top people, really professional and hard-working and I’m sure even if I wasn’t here, it would be no different.
‘That winning mentality is contagious – you get sucked into it, you live and breathe in the same way.
‘The boss is an ex-player who’s won everything, he’s had a successful career as a player, won many trophies and also in recent years he’s won trophies as a manager as well, so that winning mentality that he has and that way that he wants to compete every day, of course I can get on board with that and hopefully that will help everyone to make it a successful time for the football club.’
