Us against the world: the power and limits of Conte’s mentality

The so-called us-against-the-world mentality is a psychological attitude often adopted by charismatic coaches such as Antonio Conte. It consists of perceiving — or making others perceive — that both the coach and the team are under siege: from the media, opponents, or even the club itself. It’s a motivational strategy based on the idea that, by feeling threatened, a group strengthens its identity and its desire to fight back. In this dynamic, the coach becomes the leader who shields the team from a hostile “outside world.”

Feeling surrounded can generate extraordinary strength: it pushes people to exceed their limits, to work harder, and to put aside individual egos for a common goal. Many managers deliberately cultivate the idea of an external enemy to maintain focus and build a “us against everyone” mentality that reinforces unity.

However, this vision of football differs profoundly from the one that sees the game as a shared project, built on collaboration, mutual trust, and collective growth. The us-against-the-world mentality thrives on conflict and reaction, while football as a shared project is based on construction and long-term development. In the first case, energy comes from defense; in the second, from participation.

The danger is that the obsession with external enemies may reduce a team’s ability to build a positive and lasting identity — one grounded in ideas, style of play, and a broader sense of belonging. The cohesion born from feeling besieged is strong but fragile: it depends on opposition. The one built through sharing grows more slowly, but it is far more stable. It’s no coincidence that Conte — though often successful — tends to stay only a short time in the clubs he manages: the tension that fuels his method eventually becomes unsustainable. It’s a powerful approach that produces immediate results, but rarely long-term harmony or continuity.