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The Price of Constant Friction
Donald Trump seems determined to destroy America’s soft power
Antonio Conte follows the same pattern wherever he goes. Conte, if you don’t follow international soccer/football, is one of the most famous and successful managers in the world. He’s won championships (almost) everywhere he’s managed, but he never lasts more than three years in any job.
This is because, by year three, he has worn everyone out.
Conte is an almost comically intense competitor with a massive ego. He seems to think that he is the greatest manager in the world and that clubs are lucky to have him. He demands that club owners spend tons of money getting him the best players in the world. He pushes players incredibly hard. He gets in weird, attention-getting spats over things like handshake etiquette:
Conte usually wins a championship in the first or second year with a club (unless that club is Tottenham Hotspur, where only the bad parts of the Conte cycle took place), and then things fall apart quickly. His players tire of his demands, his…