Conte reveals Barca inspiration

Antonio Conte says his ambition to adopt a Barcelona model at Juventus was enough to convince president Andrea Agnelli to hire him.

Conte, 43, joined the club as head coach in 2011 and has since guided Juve to successive Scudetto titles, the first of which came at the end of an unbeaten league season.

Conte wrapped up his second championship on Sunday following a 1-0 victory over Palermo and, writing in his autobiography, the coach revealed aspects of the job interview which landed him the position.

He wrote: “In the past few years Juventus have been a team who allow their opponents lots of possession. Instead, I want the opposition to be afraid of the team before even taking to the field.

“Juventus need players who are hungry for victories, players who believe in the project. At this time, the names do not matter so much, but we need to introduce a new idea of football in which everyone attacks and defends, like what happens at Barcelona.

“I am convinced that with hard work and an idea of modern football, Juventus can return to the summit of both domestic and European football. And even in a short space of time.”

Conte’s men need a further point to match their total from last season (84) and, with the league title already wrapped up, Juventus will now set their sights on breaking the club record for points won in a single season, which stands at 91.