ESPN.com · Dec 1, 2016
Antonio Conte's effect on Chelsea making Abramovich forget Guardiola
ESPN FC's Frank Lebeouf believes Man City and Chelsea's hopes for the title could rest on their matchup at the weekend.Roman Abramovich was so keen to hire Pep Guardiola as Chelsea manager back in 2012 that he left Roberto Di Matteo waiting for almost a month after winning the Champions League before handing the Italian the job on a two-year contract.
Sources at Chelsea at the time have told ESPN FC that Abramovich had become so obsessed by Guardiola's brand of football at Barcelona that he had made it his No. 1 priority to lure the coach to Stamford Bridge.