Antonio Conte has been hailed by Davide Zappacosta as “really important” and a “football teacher” amid the ongoing uncertainty regarding his future as Chelsea boss.
Despite having guided the Blues to Premier League title glory in 2016-17, the man in charge at Stamford Bridge has seen serious questions asked of his role in west London.
Conte has helped Chelsea to recover from a testing run through late January and early February which saw him faced with imminent sack reports, with a top-four challenge still in place and a spot in the semi-finals of the FA Cup secured.
Zappacosta hopes his fellow Italian will be given the chance to see those quests through and to then build on any successes in 2018-19, with there still 12 months left to run on the 48-year-old’s contract.
Ahead of a crunch clash with London rivals Tottenham on Sunday, the 2017 summer signing from Torino was quoted by the Daily Mail as saying: "The coach is really important, he always tries to work in the best way for the team.
“Since the start of the year, he is working in a really good way for Chelsea and his objective is to keep on winning with Chelsea.
"He is a good coach because he is a football teacher and he makes you play in a good way. He gives you advice to make sure you are in exactly the right way on the pitch and gives you the strength of character to build your confidence."
While Conte retains the support of his players, it remains to be seen whether Roman Abramovich will keep faith with him at the end of the season.
Interest from afar may also prove too good to turn down, with a second spell at the helm of the Italy national side being mooted.
Conte has admitted to being unsure as to where he will be next season, with the constant rounds of rumours becoming tiresome.
He responded to the latest questions on his future by saying: “I don’t know, I must be honest, I don’t know. This is not my problem. It’s a problem for the club.
"For a coach it is not so sure. You can have a contract, but you don’t know what will happen after one or two games. We depend a lot on the result."