26 years old [and] both in the prime of their careers, it

We profile Antonio Conte after it was confirmed the Chelsea target will step down from his role as Italy coach after Euro 2016 Conte is the odds-on favourite to take over from Guus Hiddink, who will leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season. Conte on his way? Sky Bets next Chelsea manager odds We take a look at his past achievements and what he will bring to Chelsea. Managerial historyContes playing career came to an end in 2004 after making over 300 appearances for Juventus and earning 20 caps for Italy before becoming assistant manager at Siena for the 2005/06 season. Conte had success at Juventus before becoming Italy manager after the World Cup in 2014 He was soon given his first managerial job at Serie B outfit Arezzo, beginning a turbulent 12 months which saw him sacked after three months, reinstated five months later, and relegated on the final day of the season into Serie C1 in May 2007.After a brief sabbatical, Conte was appointed Bari manager in December 2007, and having been under threat of relegation at the start of his stint, ended up comfortably in mid-table. He led them to promotion to Serie A in 2008/09, but did not take charge of a top flight game and left the club having initially signed a one-year contract extension. Sky Italias Valentina Fass says Chelsea have held talks with Antonio Conte about becoming their new boss He was then appointed boss of Serie A side Atalanta in September 2009, winning just three of his 14 games in charge and leaving the following January, before dropping a division to guide Siena to the top flight for the 2010/11 season. Conte then began a three-year stint at Juventus, which saw him win Serie A in each season, as well as the Supercoppa in 2012 and 2013. In Europe, Conte led Juve to the Champions League quarter-finals in 2012/13, but did not get past the group stages the following season.His domestic success at Juventus led Conte to the national side after Cesare Prandellis departure following a poor World Cup in Brazil, tasked with stabilising the side ahead of Euro 2016.Italy won Group H ahead of Croatia, Norway, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan and Malta, winning seven and drawing three out of 10 games. Italy topped their Euro Qualifiers group, going unbeaten in all 10 games Six of those wins came by a one-goal margin, and the Azzurri now face Belgium, Republic of Ireland and Sweden in Group E at the tournament in France.How likely is it Conte will be appointed?Contes contract with Italy expires after the 2016 European Championships in the summer and it has been confirmed that he will then step down from the role.Sky Italias Valentina Fass told Sky Sports News HQ that Conte had been linked with Chelsea for some time and a deal between the two was close to being agreed before Christmas. We know that Chelsea want to decide who their manager for next year will be by March, she told Sky Sports News HQ. Guus Hiddink is in charge until the end of the season at Chelsea Conte seems to be ahead in the talks. Nothing has been decided yet, but maybe a contract has been put down.There are still other contenders. [Diego] Simeone, even though it looks like he wants to stay at Atletico, is one of the names on the list still, and also [Massimiliano] Allegri, Juventus manager, is on the list.Rebuilding the BridgeMake no mistake, this summer will be a rebuilding job at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea having dropped from champions to mid-table. However, Conte has the relevant experience on his CV.He revived struggling teams at Arezzo, Bari, Atalanta and Siena, but his work at Juventus stands out the most. Conte won Serie A three times in a row during his three seasons at Juve Having finished in seventh in 2010/11, Conte took over from Luigi Delneri and led Juve to the league title without a single defeat, the first club to do so in Italian history.Conceding just 20 goals in 38 games, it was their first official league title since 2003 after being stripped of two Serie A crowns for their involvement in the 2006 Calciopoli scandal.Tactics-wise, Conte is not restricted to his 3-5-2 formation, used predominantly at Juventus and with Italy. He has been known to switch to 4-3-3 successfully, a flexibility which has seen him lose just 18 games in his 167 as a manager since starting at Juventus in 2011.Sky Italia reporter Gianluca Di Marzio believes rather than shoehorning players into his system, Conte would adapt his system according to the players capabilities. Arturo Vidal (L) and Paul Pogba were brought to Juventus under Conte As Conte himself has said many times, he believes a good manager adapts to the personnel he has and not the other way around, wrote Di Marzio recently.Conte was equally impressive in the transfer market, and despite some inevitable misses, hits included Andrea Pirlo (free), Paul Pogba (free), Carlos Tevez (£6.75m), Arturo Vidal (£9.4m) and Stephan Lichtsteiner (£7.5m). During his three seasons at Juve, Conte never spent over £15m on a player.What theyve saidI am extremely lucky I met Antonio Conte, I had so many coaches to compare him too, and he is the one who surprised me the most. I was expecting a good coach, but not that good. - Andrea Pirlo, 2014, in I Think, Therefore I Play autobiography. Andrea Pirlo says he is lucky to have played under Conte The secret of our success is the ambition our coach has. Conte has brought a new mentality to the club. He has pushed us to sweat, to find strength and to undergo hard work in order to cancel out the last two disappointing campaigns. - Gianluigi Buffon, 2012Contes 3-5-2 is the best in history. Hes the only coach who doesnt play a 5-3-2. But he struggles against opponents with good wingers, who are able to switch play quickly. Big teams dont have any problems doing that. You cant dominate or set a trend with 3-5-2. - Zvonimir Boban, 2014, former Milan midfielder Also See: Conte to leave Italy role Chelsea video Chelsea fixtures Get a free ￡10 bet Wholesale Custom Packers Shirts . William Carrier opened the scoring for Cape Breton (6-4-2), but Andrew Ryan tied the game and Brent Andrews put the Mooseheads (8-6-0) in front for good with a short-handed goal at 13:49 of the second period. Packers Jerseys China . 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A few months ago there was speculation in boxing circles that perhaps the mandatory fight between junior middleweight titlist Jermall Charlo and No. 1 contender Julian J Rock Williams would not happen.Charlo, some said, wanted to vacate and move up in weight. Others suggested that Charlo (24-0, 18 KOs) was somehow afraid of facing Williams (22-0-1, 14 KOs), a notion that seemed crazy knowing the competitive spirit Charlo possesses. Boxing and rumors, however, go together like Floyd Mayweather and money.As it turned out, none of it was true. Charlo had no intention of giving up the hard-earned 154-pound world title he won in 2015 and has so far defended twice, including in his biggest win, a unanimous decision against well-respected former titleholder Austin Trout in a competitive fight in May.The real issue was that Charlo, like millions, had poor vision. He had worn glasses or contact lenses since he was kid. A few years ago, twin brother Jermell Charlo, who also holds a junior middleweight world title, had a procedure to improve his vision.Jermall, however, elected to put it off and make due in the ring with less than optimal sight.I always wanted [the procedure], but Im a superstitious guy, Jermall Charlo said. So I like to keep things the way I always wanted.Eventually, though, his vision began to be an issue, and he faced possible problems being licensed in some states, including Nevada, where he faced Trout.Charlo, 26, of Houston, made the decision to have the same procedure as his brother, which he did this past summer.Its just something I feel like its going to take me to the next level, Charlo said. Im 110 percent, crystal clear. Im good. Im ready.He will need to be ready because he faces perhaps his toughest test in the skilled and powerful Williams, whom he will finally meet on Saturday (Showtime, 10 p.m. ET) at the Galen Center on the campus of USC in Los Angeles, in a fight many fans have anxiously waited for since Williams became his mandatory challenger in March after knocking out Marcello Matano in the seventh round of a title eliminator.In the main event, Argentinas Jesus Cuellar (28-1, 21 KOs) will make the second defense of his secondary featherweight title when he meets former three-division titleholder Abner Mares (29-2-1, 15 KOs), of Los Angeles, in a fight originally scheduled for June 25 but was postponed.Charlo admitted that he has had fuzzy vision in his fights, including against Trout.I fought the fight. I adjusted myself to be able to fight unclear, Charlo said. So now I got the procedure done. Yes, the fight [against Williams] was supposed to happen in October. And I wanted it then. But it was just for me to be able to clear the medical exam. Less stress now to go ahead and go [into the fight with] 20/20 [vision], and Im ready now.Charlo had the procedure in July and later sought and was granted a 60-day medical exemption by the IBF, allowing him to delay the mandatory against Williams from October to Saturday. Now he is ready for the fight.Everything happens for a reason, Charlo said. And crystal-clear vision is one of the things that helps me make the fight easier.Charlo said the difference has been huge and he cant even imagine how much better he will be now that he can see everything so clearly, which figures to also incllude the incoming punches from Williams.ddddddddddddIt gives me a lot more confidence, Charlo said. Of course, its something important and I probably had to get it. I havent fought with crystal-clear vision my whole life. So now Im even more motivated. Im eager to get in there to see what the new person is like.Williams has been anxious for a title shot for the past year and understandably grew a little restless when the fight was delayed. When the fight was finally solidified, Charlo was calm and cool.I just felt like I wanted to get to work, Williams said. The whole process has made me practice my patience. I wasnt overly excited because I knew I would fight for the world title my next fight with someone. I wanted to start training camp immediately and get myself ready to win.Williams said he was not sure what was going on with the delay at first but was glad everything was worked out for the fight.I didnt really know about the medical situation until about mid-September, Williams said. I actually thought that he would fight. And I did not think about the notion that he would vacate. I thought that he was putting the fight off for whatever reason. But like I said, at the time, I didnt know what the reason was.Now Williams, 26, of Philadelphia, is just pumped up to have his big opportunity against a highly regarded titleholder.All that is under the bridge. It doesnt even matter anymore, Williams said of the delay. The fight is [Saturday], you know what I mean? He said hes going to bring his A-game. Hes got 20/20 vision. I had 20/20 vision my whole life. Now were even. So there will be no excuses.Now both guys are looking at a tough fight with high stakes that will go a long way toward making their name in boxing.Were both on the way up to the top level, Charlo said. Hes definitely one of my best opponents up to this date. Hes hungry as me. Hes my toughest opponent. And Im ready for it.Said Williams: Whenever youve got a 50-50 fight, two guys 26 years old [and] both in the prime of their careers, its going to be a test for both fighters.Its rare we see two fighters get in the ring in this type of fight. So I think its definitely the first step in building my legacy.Ringstar Sports promoter Richard Schaefer is co-promoting the card, his first since resigning as chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions two and a half years ago after a falling out with principle owner Oscar De La Hoya. Schaefer, who founded Ringstar Sports in June, said he believes the Charlo-Williams winner is on his way to stardom.I think you have two of the best fighters in their division fighting in this particular fight, Schaefer said. And so this is an extremely significant fight for the division. And these are two young undefeated and confident fighters who dare to be great.These kinds of fights will separate one from the other, and I think the sky is the limit here within that division and potentially other divisions. But thats how you build a champion into a star and then a superstar. These kinds of meaningful fights. And in order for that to happen, you need to have two fighters who are willing to challenge themselves. And as I said, dare to be great. ' ' '