The Italy boss, who is favourite to become Jose Mourinho's permanent successor at Stamford Bridge, is a workaholic whose methods are successful but arguably dull
Not for the first time in the workaholic's career, Antonio Conte is a desired man.
He thrives on showing greater commitment than any player to develop beneath him and exceeded the expectations of any director to have employed him. Chelsea are now expected to announce him as Guus Hiddink's successor within days.
Marco Verratti insists the Italy head coach is the best he's ever worked for, while Andrea Pirlo struggled to ever disagree with him. Paul Pogba's acceleration within the world game was largely because Conte never distinguished between youth and experience; whoever had earned their place was then handed the honour of striving to keep it.
His managerial career started with Arezzo in July 2006, but he was sacked by the Serie B side three months later after a dismal run. He was reinstated in March the following year and achieved five wins in a row, yet then miserably led them to relegation.
After one draw, he claimed his players "were lacklustre, without aggression... played as if they were confused". They were some of his tamer comments. Conte has always been vocally critical, but it's little surprise some of the most wondrous players he's commanded have been among those speaking highly of him. He gets through to winners.
That's most appropriately demonstrated from his time at Juventus. There, he revived the Bianconeri, restoring them to the zenith of Italian football, with three consecutive Scudetti between 2012 and 2014.
Conte is incurably stubborn, however. As Chelsea's fixtures mount up and tumble into one another, Conte and his exhaustive method of play could be exposed. He wears players down to the bare bones. It may be too demanding as league and cup matches roll in thick and fast.
He was criticised for not taking more of a gamble when it came to calling up new faces to the Italian national team, and his stoic approach left little room for versatility, freshness and, frankly, a bit of interest.
His clinical style can be mechanical, and, to some, dull, yet it's tried, tested and is the realisation of his gift as a coach. Juventini seemed hopeful Massimiliano Allegri's excessive rotational policies, in a sense the opposite of Conte's modus operandi, would breathe a different kind of life into the Old Lady.
Promises of transfer funds which never materialised had left Conte heading for the door, with the Azzurri job vacant. It should be a warning for a Chelsea administration which may be considering keeping the 46-year-old on a short leash. As is well established, he's no fool.
When he took over from Cesare Prandelli as Italy coach, reshaping them into a 3-5-2 formation and focusing on results rather than possession, fans queried where these results would come from. They were not creating many chances, and the narrow backline looked suspect.
It is that type of system that is likely to be heavily scrutinised in England; what are seen as his trademarks could be ridiculed as lunacy in the aggressive Premier League. Jose Mourinho dabbled with 3-4-3 in December, but it's unlikely to ever be a default setting.
Conte's character was perhaps most seriously brought into question when the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) accused him of failing to report match fixing while in charge of Siena. His 10-month ban was later reduced to four, and while he was cleared of having a direct involvement in match fixing, the FIGC said it was satisfied he was aware, but turned a blind eye.
It was in relation to a match between Siena and Novara in 2010-11, after which ex-player, Filippo Carobbio, claimed the club's owner, Massimo Mezzaroma, demanded Conte's men lose so he may win a bet.
They went on to win 5-0, which to a certain extent highlighted the coach's integrity.
While bungs are dimly viewed elsewhere in Europe, 'Calcio Scommesse' is a common theme in headlines in Italy, and it didn't seem to tarnish his reputation. If anything, when his punishment was served in 2012, critics questioned how Juventus would fare without him at the helm for half a season.
Now it's down to the Premier League to present the Lecce maestro with the perfect challenge. Is he up to it? Only time will tell.
- Goal