London (AFP) – Antonio Conte’s achievement in coaching Chelsea to the Premier League title in his first season in charge saw him named manager of the year by his peers, the League Managers Association (LMA), on Monday.
The 47-year-old Italian — who performed a similar feat at Juventus in his first season with them in 2011/12 — could land the domestic double if Chelsea beat Arsenal in Saturday’s FA Cup final.
Conte — a former midfield workhorse for Juventus and Italy — won praise for turning a demoralised squad which had gone from being champions in 2015 to 10th place in the 2015/16 campaign back into title winners in such a short space of time.
Chelsea claimed a Premier League-record 30 victories under the stewardship of Conte, including 13 in a row from October 1, to finish seven points ahead of second-placed Tottenham.
