The Champions League round of 16 tie between Juventus and Celtic will be decided not by Andrea Pirlo’s precise passing range or the atmosphere created at Parkhead but by the decisions made by the men on the respective benches.
Both men are remarkably similar to the point that is almost eerily so. Each is a hungry, young coach who has fashioned out a promising early reputation, who are often vilified by the many but loved by their own and for whom losing is never an option.
Conte is just two years Lennon’s senior and both men were famed for their no-nonsense approach during their playing days where they were heroes to the support of the clubs whom they sit on the dugout of today.
The former Italian international retired earlier than the Irishman and used his time away from the pitch to make his first footsteps in coaching while Lennon was captaining Celtic to a series of domestic honours.
As he was seeing out his playing career, Conte was enjoying solitary seasons in charge at Arezzo, Bari and Atalanta and by the time he had taken over at Siena where he really caught the eye of his current club Juventus, Lennon had already been announced as Celtic boss after impressing on a temporary basis since taking over from the sacked Tony Mowbray.
Juventus appointed Conte a year later and since then, both men have gone on to surprise many by being such great successes at big clubs where the pressure can be massive despite their lack of real experience and young ages.
That is precisely the mentality that both displayed as players though, a never say die attitude and a will to win and always be the best and it is not hard to see why they have been so successful at their respective clubs.
Since then, each has guided their clubs to a league title and a national cup triumph to further the esteem and love that the fans of their clubs have for them although this affection is not often shared by many outside the clubs who have almost developed a siege mentality when it comes to defending their coach.
Lennon is an easy hate figure for many in Scotland and was especially so to Celtic’s former rivals Rangers, now reformed as a new company in Scotland’s third division, for his outspoken manner and willingness to irk their support with his antics (cupping his ears at them when walking off after a game, waving flags that would be sure to incite and other incidents) have led to him being persecuted in Glasgow.
He was sent death threats and a parcel bomb addressed to him was intercepted by police, he has been dragged from his car and beaten up and was also attacked by a Hearts fan who leapt from the crowd two years ago to assault him as he stood on the touchline. Certainly not the kind of problems a football manager should have to deal with.
Conte too, while not on as extreme a level, is not a popular man among Italy’s general footballing public. This was not helped by the ban for failing to report match fixing which he received and subsequently fought which led to widespread condemnation for him from across the peninsula.
Despite being banned for much of this season, he received harsh treatment in director and hospitality boxes and was subjected to a series of chants during this time as well as the infamous Fiorentina ‘wig’ gag.
In spite of all of this turmoil, they are both very promising coaches who have surprised some by navigating difficult groups earlier in the competition to get this far and set up an interesting tactical clash.
Conte will likely set up the Bianconeri with the traditional three central defenders with his two wing-backs either side of a powerful midfield trio and two attackers looking for the crucial away goal that can hurt Celtic in Glasgow.
Most fans can probably fill in the gaps as to who the men who take these positions are although he will be hoping that the injury sustained by Mirko Vucinic is not too serious as he can be key for Juventus, especially in crunch games.
On paper, the Old Lady should then have the advantage as Lennon will more than likely set his team out in a rigid 4-4-2 with Georgios Samaras likely to play just off of Gary Hooper in attack although he could spring a 4-5-1 in an attempt to match Juventus in the middle of the park.
Celtic’s midfield duo of Joe Ledley and Victor Wanyama have previously battled against a supposedly stronger midfield trio (against Barcelona and came out on top) but could be in danger of being overrun if Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba and Arturo Vidal all make the Juve starting XI.
That is where the most intriguing battle of the night takes place and could be where the game is won or lost by each coach. Will Lennon attempt to meet Conte head on and employ three men in the middle of his own? Will Conte perhaps play with four at the back and five in midfield in the hope of taking a draw and bringing Celtic back to Turin?
All these questions and many more will be answered when these two exciting coaches attempt to mastermind the biggest challenge of their managerial careers to date.
