Gianluigi Buffon tells Chelsea that new boss Antonio Conte will solve club’s defensive blues next season
Chelsea backline conceded a staggering 53 goals in the last campaign as Jose Mourinho's title defence crashed and burned
GIANLUIGI BUFFON has backed Antonio Conte to sort out Chelsea’s leaky defence next season.
The Italian will take charge at Stamford Bridge after Euro 2016 and faces the arduous task of a huge summer rebuild.
Chelsea are believed to be eyeing reinforcements in a number of positions, but one area of concern for Conte will surely be the backline.
A poor season from the Blues saw them concede a whopping 53 goals as Jose Mourinho received the axe for a second time.
The likes of Branislav Ivanovic and Gary Cahill were way below par as Chelsea leaked 21 more goals than the title-winning year before.
In contrast, Mourinho’s first Premier League campaign ended with just 15 goals fired past goalkeeper Petr Cech, and Blues fans will be hoping for major improvements under Conte.
The former Juventus manager is renowned for his strong defensive tactics, usually deploying three centre-backs with two wing-backs providing pace on the lines.
And Italy captain Buffon reckons Conte will first and foremost build a solid foundation at the back, with Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly tipped to line up with John Terry and Kurt Zouma.
He said: “Conte is a big coach and I’m convinced he will be an excellent one at Chelsea.
“A Conte team is strong in defence and works constantly, day to day. Conte is a coach with a very simply idea.
“For the players he makes it very clear. He wants to play without risk in the defensive line and to exploit the opportunities to score goals when they come.
“This appears easy but he always wants more. So to go where we [Italy] want, we need to do whatever the coach asks of us.”