Antonio Conte has revealed how he dealt with Chelsea players who had the problem with his 'heavy' training methods.
The 55-year-old has settled as one of the world's best managers who have won four league titles with four different clubs, including his current side Napoli.
He is known for his meticulous preparation and uncompromising approach to physical training with his players.
And Conte is now open about why he is stubborn about his methods after accepting a request from John Terry in 2016.
'Once the Chelsea captain came to me to ask to slow down the pace (of training) to do fewer video sessions. I agreed, especially out of respect for their culture, their different way of approaching football, “Conte told Corriere della Sera.
'If you are in another country, you must be careful not to cause too much upset.
“Well, we lost two games in a row and I have the risk of being fired,” he went on.
'Since then I always think that if I have to' die 'as a result of the choices made, I have to do it my way, and not in the hands of others. This is the way. 'Trust the process' as they say in England.
'And when I think back to how difficult training was, I smile. Zidane and Del Piero have trained much harder. Today we do a third of what we used to do.
'The work must be linked to the results on the field. I coached teams where after a while the players started to identify dangerous situations themselves. For me that means that we have achieved the right result. '
Conte enjoyed remarkable success with Chelsea in his first campaign, which briefly shook English football with a 3-4-3 formation in which the blues stormed to the Premier League title.
His second season was destroyed by Squad -Disharmony and disagreements with the hierarchy, in particular about transfer goals and finances, although they still won the FA Cup.
After leaving Stamford Bridge, Conte took the lead over Inter Milan and the Scudetto won the lead in his first season.
He then managed the rivals of Chelsea Tottenham before he returned to Italy last year to take the lead on Napoli, who won their fourth series title last month.